Formerly known as the Bay Area Composers Big Band, the ESO is a 17-piece big band led by Erik Jekabson and is made up of the Bay Area’s finest players. ESO began a weekly residency at Doc’s Lab in San Francisco back in 2013, and moved to the Fiddler Annex at Berkeley’s famous Jazzschool in 2018. Playing only original arrangements and compositions by band members and Bay Area friends, the band has a diverse stylistic repertoire and collaborates with guest artists on a regular basis. The band’s debut album received 4.5 stars in Downbeat magazine, and has recently released a second.
I started subbing in the band in 2014 and took over the weekly pianist chair in the Spring of 2016.