Led by saxophonist Steven Lugerner, this ensemble performs inventive music that blurs the lines between pop, rhythm & blues, jazz improvisation, & minimalism. An expert on a daunting menagerie of wind instruments including various clarinets and saxophones, the Burlingame-raised multi-instrumentalist earned international attention with 2011's These Are the Words and 2013's Hebrew liturgy-inspired suite For We Have Heard, albums featuring an all-star quartet with pianist Myra Melford, drummer Matt Wilson and trumpeter Darren Johnston.
SLUGish grew out of Lugerner's years in New York City soaking up the striking orchestrational concepts of various large ensembles.