Mitch Marcus in repose.

By Dina Maccabee

The Mitch Marcus Quintet sounds so confident, so full of easy attitude and laid-back strut on the group’s latest release, The Special, (Jazzcubed, 2007), you could almost mistake this mile-a-minute jazz record for an easy ride.

Each track unfolds with a bounty of melodic and structural invention, though the mix of influences - from Eric Dolphy to the Meters - is practically seamless. With saxophonists Mitch Marcus and Sylvain Carton up front flying in tight formation through some impressive mid-air turns, it’s the quintet’s simmering rhythm section that’s responsible for continuously building, tearing down, and rebuilding The Special’s beat-driven foundations. As drummer Ches Smith and bassist George Ban-Weiss man all the bases from swaggering swing to idiosyncratic odd meters and loping six-eight time, guitarist Mike Abraham romps out in left field, lobbing passages of inspired insanity, such as his distorted surf-raga shred-a-thon on “Inditranego,” psychedelically into play.

Like those groundbreaking records by Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman that still shine as irresistible beacons for straight-ahead boppers and free-jazzers alike, The Special has the potential to appeal to both lovers and haters of the jam paradigm. While nearly every tune follows a tightly orchestrated opening with an expansive field of spontaneous solo and ensemble exploration, the improvising feels so honest and un-forced, the vibe so rooted and right, there’s not a self-indulgent note to be heard.

Mitch Marcus Quintet
June 9, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., $6-$12
Yoshi’s
510 Embarcadero W., Oakl.
(510) 238-9200