Too Many Zooz/BIROCRATIC

Too Many Zooz describes itself as Brass House on account of the way it draws from hip-hop, funk and jazz. The guys all come from diverse backgrounds. Matt "Doe" Muirhead grew up playing piano and singing in church and then got into jazz and got into hip-hop. Saxophonist Leo [Pelegrino] grew up playing with his dad, who’s an accordion player. As a result, he got into polkas before diving into jazz and hip-hop. Drummer Dave "King of Sludge" Parks has studied African drumming from Senegal and South Africa. The influences all come together nicely on the band's latest effort, Zombie P. Songs such as the jittery jazz number "Wanted," a track that features short, sharp bursts of saxophone, should come across well live. (Jeff Niesel)