An all-originals album isnt exactly a big step for most bands. But part of the attention this Minneapolis-bred trio has endlessly attracted over the past decade has come from their shrewdly chosen covers (Nirvana, Blondie, Pink Floyd, etc.), which have helped draw listeners who wouldnt be caught dead listening to jazz. The newest recording, Never Stop, dispenses with that gimmick, and while it may not be their best ever, it manages to be their least affected. Most of all it just affirms that these guys are still as fresh, energized, and essential to the world of instrumental music as ever, and you dont have to know or care anything about jazz to dig them. MARK D. FEFER
Tue., Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m.; Wed., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m., 2010
