Howard Wiley & Extra Nappy at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival at Yerba Buena Gardens

About

Tenor saxophonist Howard Wiley has been a major force on the Bay Area music scene since his teenage years in the mid-90s. A protégé of the dynamic Miss Faye Carol, he’s steeped in a vast array of African-American idioms, from gospel, blues and jazz to R&B, funk and hip-hop. All of these currents flow into Extra Nappy, a loose and limber quartet that delivers improvisation-laced arrangements of classic songs. Featuring Alameda-raised drummer Thomas Pridgen, who spent three years touring and recording with El Paso rockers The Mars Volta, pianist/organist Lionel “LJ” Holoman and bassist Michael "Tiny" Lindsey, Wiley’s quartet plays next-level grooves with such a deep pocket it’s not just nappy, it’s Extra Nappy.