Old school funk-jazz was in the air at the Barley Pub in Dover when the Pollotronic All-Stars rolled into town for a one-nighter in the Garrison City. The sextet, led by conga/percussionist Yahuba Garcia, laid down some nasty funk grooves over which the various soloists in the band created imaginative improvisations. In addition to Garcia, the other members included Nate Wilson on keyboards, Pete Fedele on guitar, Steve Giannaros on tenor saxophone, Ben Alman on bass and Pete McLean on drums.

The set I caught drew heavily from the Herbie Hancock/Headhunters book. The band opened with a driving version of Hancock’s “Hang Up Your Hangups” and featured stirring, well-crafted solos from Wilson, Giannaros and particularly Fedele, whose guitar work was a pleasant revelation. Fedele has a fine sense of structure in his solo work, creating improvs that have a story-like arc to them. A hypnotic slow funk version of John Coltrane’s “India” followed, with everyone getting into the solo act, including a superb series of exchanges between Garcia and McLean. Hancock’s “Watermelon Man,” à la the original version from the composer’s Blue Note recording “Takin’ Off,” followed, with Giannaros and Wilson playing well conceived and imaginative solos. The set closed with a decent take on Hancock’s “Actual Proof” from the Headhunter’s “Thrust” recording. A difficult tune to work with, this was the loosest of the evening’s selections. But the individual playing was spot on, and the band brought it home with a rousing climax.

Most notable about the players in this band is their collective spirit and enthusiasm for the music. They’re all highly accomplished players: Giannaros has a beautiful, full sound on the tenor; Wilson continues to amaze with his continued growth and assurance as an improviser; Fedele, as mentioned earlier, was a pleasant surprise; and the bass and drum team of Alman and McLean has a rock solid groove pocket that bends and flexes when needed. They complement each other beautifully. And then there’s Yahuba, who is in my mind one of the finest young percussionists to come on the scene. He has a great set of ears and a terrific sense of musical color. This is a terrific band with plenty of promise.