Being in the Jazz Passengers sounds like fun. The band began in 1987, emerging from John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, and worked with Jeff Buckley, Mavis Staples, Elvis Costello and, most regularly, Debbie Harry. Despite their highprofile vocalists, however, the group had a foot firmly in the avant-garde: co-founders Roy Nathanson and Curtis Folkes were also influenced by the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Unusually, vaudeville and comedy were influences too: Nathanson has been described as the Groucho Marx of avant-garde jazz. This concert, considered by Nathanson the best of the era, was recorded by Radio Bremen in 1990 and is now available in full for the first time. At times it's Zappaesque, but versions of ‘Angel Eyes’ and ‘Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me’ also reflect a debt to the tradition. Raucous trombone from Folkes and the ever-engaging Marc Ribot on guitar are among the highlights.