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JazzPunks combines the best of East and West coast jazz, presenting Bebop and Straight Ahead with a distinctive flair. They bring the unexpected to timeless standards with their own unique brand of energy and creativity.
Our mission is to bring - through jazz - the pure, organic nature of music back to the masses. Miles tinted with a slight hue of Hendrix. Coltrane infused with a subtle hint of Hip-Hop and Rap. We "punk" jazz - preserving due respect for the original magic of the swing, the tunes, and the artist.
Drummer Hugh Elliott, a Berklee College of Music alum, spent twenty years on the New York City music scene. He recorded the CD, “I Wanna Love Somebody” with Jazz/R&B great, Angela Bofill, followed by multiple int’l tours where he shared stages with Stanley Clarke, George Duke and George Benson. He went on to perform live with such artistic greats as Herbie Hancock, Phyllis Hyman, Grover Washington, Phoebe Snow and Joan Osborne, while recording CD’s for such contemps. as Sandra Bernhard, Robert Lamm and Laura Brannigan.
Guitarist Sal Polcino played with Tower of Power Rhythm Section and other bands with T.O.P. bassist Rocco Prestia and other great SoCal sidemen. He has written songs for Rocco and long time T.O.P. guitarist Bruce Conte, which were recorded on their solo projects.
Acoustic Bass player Mike Polcino is a ten year veteran of the Santa Monica Symphony and has played around the LA area with local jazz cats as well as an experimental stint with Angelo of Fishbone and a short tour opening for Ice-T in the late 90's. He brings to the Jazz Punks a unique grasp of both the classical and contemporary. Mike is also a director on the animated series “The Simpsons.”
Danny Kastner adds his unique talents on the piano, sometimes classically haunting melodies, sometimes brash and chaotic - even comic - but always stimulating. He has won national awards for composition and is CEO of his own media company, “FanRocket”. You may remember Danny from his stint as the hip-dressing, guitar playing contestant on Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice.” Fortunately, he was fired.
And last but not least, tenor sax-man Robby Elfman. He’s a graduate of USC Thornton School of Music, plays everything from Bird and Trane to Wayne Shorter, and is one of the hottest sax players in LA. Winner of the 1999 music center Spotlight Award, Robby is an LA session player, writes for film and TV, and performs regularly with the LA Jewish Symphony.
There are Jazz Giants, and then there are Jazz Punks.
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