Nice Guy Trio

The Nice Guy Trio is Darren Johnston on trumpet, Rob Reich on accordion, and Daniel Fabricant on bass. Together, they create a sound that is both intimate and reflective of their contrasting yet complimentary musical backgrounds, and always with an emphasis on spontaneity. In concert they navigate through a uniquely diverse collection of original compositions and songs from folk traditions all around the globe, from jazz to klezmer to Balkan dance forms, to calypso and beyond.

The Nice Guy Trio has played venues big and small, from Jazz at Chez Hanny and the Cafe; Royale, to The Great American Music Hall and the Yerba-Buena Garden Festival. In 2008 they were awarded the Best Jazz Band award from SF Weekly after completing an exciting "Root Exchange" residency at the Red Poppy Art House which featured the playing and compositions of a different guest artist alongside the trio each month.

Guests included clarinetist Ben Goldberg, Sameer Gupta on tabla, electric-guitarist John Schott, and more. The series culminated in a nine-piece finale concert at the De Young Museum. This year the Trio embarked upon a second "Root Exchange" series held at the Community Music Center and included guest singer-songwriter Katy Stephan, saxophonists Evan Francis and Kacey Knudsen, Balkan music specialist Peter Jacques, pianist Myra Melford, and percussionists Faisal Zedan, Dave Mihaly and Michelle Simon.

Home Base: San Francisco

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