by Christopher Hess

Hot Buttered Rhythm will be bringing down many a house in town. By listening to these guys play, you would never guess that they're as young as they are. But then again, you might, because of the incredible energy that they put into playing and the enthusiasm that pours out of every note.

And by watching these guys play, you encounter new and amazing things with every shift of your gaze. Watching J.J. Johnson play the drums is a liberating experience. He seems at times to be flailing with abandon but at frequent and perfunctory points he pulls it all back together with a crash and a sweep before bounding into the next measure. He's got some of the fastest hands I've ever seen, but for the most part his skill lies in the subtleties of the snare and cymbals.

Brannen Temple, alongside JJ, is another study in drumming altogether. His movements are sharp and precise, and you get the feeling that he's about three steps ahead of himself and everyone else in the room at all times, and that he's all too happy to wait for them to catch up. His utter confidence shakes any room he plays with each smash of his tiny snare.

The bass players are perfect complements both to the drummers and to each other. Edwin Livingston is perhaps the most integral part of this band, in that he alternately hides in the shadows and jumps to the fore, but his presence is always felt. He slides up and down his upright like an old master, both keeping time with a hum and picking and slapping at high speed. He ties the percussion to the keyboards with a constant adjustment in tempo and volume and brings everything together.

Yogi, the other bass player, plays a 5-string electric and does a whole lotta thumping and slapping. He's good, and he and Brannen's duet was one of the highpoints of their recent Mercury Lounge gig. He gives the string solo nature, almost treating a fairly traditional funky bass as a lead instrument.

Fredrick Sanders plays keyboards in a most reserved way. His solos are infrequent and he's content to sit back on the bench a bit and feel the other guys playing. He's not hitting keys just for the sake of hitting keys because -- and this holds true of everyone -- the idea is not just all-out jam, these are rhythms and sometimes you gotta stay out of them for them to work.

The greatest thing about seeing this band is the realization that there are a lot of very talented and well-schooled young jazz players in town. And if the lineup keeps shifting, as the second keyboard spot has, each show may be an introduction to a new favorite.

To call it fusion would be to do it a disservice, at least in relation to most other too-clean and soulless fusion music. But you kind of have to (if you have to call it anything). It's a pretty structured exploration of rhythm and time through heavy beats and gliding lines. They'll be playing everywhere soon enough.