Monster Garaj

To those rockist stiffs who claim that all jam bands are talentless wankers: Your argument is wholly nullified by Garaj Mahal. This four-piece supergroup is made up of well-credentialed, veteran virtuosos from San Francisco and Chicago who get off on slapping around their extensive jazz background with rubbery improv and slapstick funk. German/Liberian bass monster Kai Eckhart has played with some of the world's most respected fusionists, including John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussein, while Pakistani/Chilean guitar wizard Fareed Haque has worked with jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. Their exotic, intoxicating energy is anchored by drum wingnut Alan Hertz's sizzling dexterity and keys prodigy Eric Levy's soulful organ runs. Garaj Mahal is an unconventional, often beautifully free-form band that makes up songs on a nightly basis that are more memorable than what most "serious" rock bands produce in a lifetime.

So good they get two nights: Garaj Mahal plays at 9 p.m. Wednesday, September 28, and Thursday, September 29, at the Bamboo Room, 25 S. "J" St., Lake Worth. Tickets cost $20. Call 561-585-BLUE.