Steve Messick's Endemic Ensemble

Founded by bassist Steve Messick in early 2010, the Endemic Ensemble is a modern, collaborative jazz quintet based in Seattle with Messick on double bass, Travis Ranney on soprano and tenor saxophones, Matso Limtiaco on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, David Franklin on piano, and Ken French on drums. The music, composed by Messick, Franklin, and Limtiaco, focuses on accessible melodies over hard-bop changes with inspiration from twentieth century classical music.