And they're off...

Jake Pinto

The 2012-13 jazz concert season in Southwest Florida is under way. The South County Jazz Club inaugerated its new schedule this afternoon with the Jake Pinto quartet at the Venice FL Art Center.

Sarasota-raised, New York-based Pinto, a recent graduate of NYU's jazz program, was the South County Jazz Club's inaugural concert offering two summers ago as an arts center fundraiser, so it was only fitting that the pianist return with his latest band, consisting of one NYU student and two other recent graduates.

The bandmates are bassist Michael Harlen, saxophonist Jas Walton and drummer Jamie Eblen.

The program consisted of a handful of interesting originals, a few tunes from Thelonious Monk (certainly expected as Pinto is a Monkophile), some jazz chestnuts and two pop tunes transformed into jazz vehicles. The latter included Brian Wilson's vintage"That's Not Me" (from The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds record) and Dirty Projectors' 2012 song "Irresponsible."