Babkas

by Scott YanowThe trio of altoist Briggan Krauss, guitarist Brad Schoeppach and drummer Aaron Alexander came together as BABKAS (which got its title by combining the first letter of each musician's first and last names) in 1992 in Seattle. All three musicians were students at the time. They have since toured the West Coast of the U.S., Canada and (in 1996) Europe. Their adventurous music relies on close interplay, some arranged sections and plenty of intuitive improvising. The musicians, who have each also freelanced extensively, have recorded several colorful sets for the Songlines label since their debut in 1993.