Lisa Mezzacappa 5(ish), with special guest The Holly Martins

Lisa Mezzacappa 5(ish)

Aaron Bennett – tenor sax

Mark Clifford – vibraphone

Brett Carson – piano

Jordan Glenn – drums

Lisa Mezzacappa – bass

Berkeley bassist and composer Lisa Mezzacappa brings the latest incarnation of her working band to The Back Room for a raucous and rollicking suite of original music.

Her 5(ish) ensemble plays selections from its 2026 release othrwrldly, which explores the concept of worldbuilding—inspired by Mezzacappa’s fascination with the speculative fiction of Ursula Le Guin, Haruki Murakami, Samuel R. Delany and David Mitchell— as a way to envision new kinds of musical interaction, storytelling, structure and play.

othrwrldly showcases her band’s spectacular chemistry and keen improvisational prowess, woven into expansive compositions that foreground energy, sound, interaction and surprise. The band includes longtime collaborators tenor saxophonist Aaron Bennett (Adam Lane’s Full Throttle Orchestra), vibraphonist Mark Clifford (Meerna, Rent Romus), and drummer Jordan Glenn (Fred Frith Trio, Zeena Parkins), plus recent addition pianist Brett Carson (Art Ensemble of Chicago, Roscoe Mitchell).

The Holly Martins

Lorin Benedict, voice

Kasey Knidsen, alto saxophone

Eric Vogler, guitar

Named after the main character in the classic postwar film, The Third Man, The Holly Martins is a trio of Bay Area musicians dedicated to exploring the boundaries of jazz-infused improvised music, but without the trappings of a traditional "rhythm section.” 

This configuration requires each individual to simultaneously take on multiple roles typically assigned individual players (soloist versus accompanist), thereby promoting more open-ended explorations of the material. As to said material, The Holly Martins often construct mutations of normal jazz standards, transformed from their more familiar forms in the time domain. Likewise, their original compositions are often "jazz-like," but with twists and turns such as asymmetric harmonic rhythms, and cycling rhythmic and pitch patterns.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Children under 12 are free. Advance tickets are available here, or if the show is not sold out, you may purchase your tickets at the door before the show.

Doors open 30 minutes before show time. We accept cash or Venmo only at the door.