  This is a magnificent quartet that we heard in Portland, on our way to the coast for a family reunion.
My sister Mary Sue is the saxophonist. We've been trying to describe the sound of the music, which is described as "avant-garde, third-stream" jazz. For some reason, film noir has dominated my thoughts while listening to her music. So I would say the music is sometimes smoky and intoxicating like the fine single malt scotch, maybe Oban, that I suspect they're drinking in film noir.
Othertimes it's sassy and bright like the dame in a red dress, matching high heels, and a new hat who comes into the detective's office (of course, since the film is black and white, you just have to imagine the red dress, but you can tell by her panache). Othertimes it's rough and gravelly, like the voice of one of the witnesses that they meet in a smoke-filled bar.
And othertimes it's tight and tailored, like the suits with hats that the men wear. urlLink Mary Sue Tobin urlLink Tugboat , the bar where Paxselin was playing, is a great venue, with home-brewed beer, book-lined wallls (although it's hard to imagine someone reading in such a dark space), and reasonably-priced good food. when we were there the street outside was lit by a street light and was actually brighter than the bar. So, from the bar, you could see people walking up and down the street, which is narrow, almost like an alley. They would stop outside the window and look inside and listen the music before moving on. 
