the beat

The fact that I have the day off from work tomorrow combined with the absolutely gorgeous weather in the city this evening put a definite spring in my step as I walked up to Union Square after work for some music from the Shotgun Wedding Quintet.  Part of the SFJAZZ Summerfest series of free concerts, the show attracted a nicely mixed crowd of jazz aficionados, hip-hop heads, and plenty of curious tourists.  The Quintet freely references New Orleans jazz, funk, old-school hip-hop, reggae, and freestyle rap, all held together by frontman Dublin's steady stream of words.  Sometimes the lyrics get a touch cheesy, but the music itself stirred up some genuine nostalgia for me, reminding me of time spent at SF's Storyville back in the day.  Not bad for five white guys.