Delight for the ears

On Feb. 15, the area's music collage gets a little bigger and considerably more colorful with the addition of Minneapolis-based jazz act Atlantis Quartet.

Guitarist Zacc Harris, a Carbondale, Ill., native and member of defunct local rock group Broken Glass, said Atlantis Quartet is comparable to a rock band playing jazz.

"In a day when so many jazz artists end up as 'guns for hire' with a big name leading the direction of the music and a bunch of 'sidemen' backing him up, we have taken a very group oriented and unified approach to creating our sound, much in the way that a rock band might," Harris said. "Many of the tunes that we have written use grooves other than traditional swing or Latin feels, but rather combines a funky tilt in an odd time signature with a freewheeling rock vibe."

The Atlantis Quartet -- featuring Harris, Travis Schilling on upright bass, drummer Pete Henning and Brandon Wozniak on tenor saxophone -- have made themselves well-known to the Minneapolis jazz scene since forming in 2006. According to the band's Web site, they have played many of the top jazz venues in the Twin Cities and released their first album, "Again, Too Soon," in August.

Harris said no matter who the audience is, the AQ will "delight their ears."

"We cover a wide spectrum of jazz, with influences ranging from the more groove-oriented John Scofield or Charlie Hunter, to very complex modern jazz artists like Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Paul Motian," Harris said. "And for the more traditional jazz fans, we throw in some Monk and some choice standards, though we like to give those tunes our own little twist as well. No matter what your musical taste, you will walk away with perhaps some new ideas of what jazz can mean."

The AQ will grace the stage at 9 p.m. Feb. 15 at Port Cape Girardeau.