Steeped in jazz, the Nice Guys embrace a wide array of styles, drawing from klezmer, blues, funk, calypso, country, Balkan, and Hindustani music. The protean combo effortlessly incorporates some of the finest improvisers on the multifarious San Francisco scene, creating playfully virtuosic music that references genres while existing outside of any particular style or tradition. Founded in early 2008 by trumpeter Darren Johnston, the group features accordion ace Rob Reich and bassist Daniel Fabricant exploring a heady mix of original compositions and modern jazz classics by the likes of Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman.