Endangered Blood

(courtesy NPR)
The Brooklyn jazz quartet Endangered Blood was formed in 2008 so its members
could play benefit concerts for their friend, saxophonist Andrew D'Angelo, who'd
been diagnosed with a brain tumor. D'Angelo eventually made a full recovery, but
the group — Trevor Dunn (bass), Jim Black (drums), Chris Speed (tenor
saxophone) and Oscar Noriega (alto saxophone) — realized that this ensemble
had potential to become a real working band. In 2011, the four released a self titled
debut album.
Endangered Blood's music draws from the members' diverse backgrounds and
influences, combining post-bop, 20th-century chromaticism, traditional New
Orleans funeral marches, avant-garde jazz and post-punk to create a sort of
mad-scientist concoction. Its compositions are cerebral, but they're also gritty and
full of energy.
Endangered Blood recently stopped by the NPR Music offices while touring
through Washington, D.C. Coming from the truck stops of the American South,
they could have passed for grunge or punk rockers if they didn't have their
saxophones with them (not to mention Speed's porkpie hat). With trucker caps
and leather wristbands in tow, the quartet carried off a raw, edgy aesthetic — one
more reminder of jazz's immediacy today.