Swirl

A crucial reason why Swirl sounds so buoyant and brilliant is the rapport shared among the trio-mates-comfortable and flowing yet full of musical risk-taking, and always interactive. "I like to play with people I love; that's really important to me," Wolff says. "That vibe needs to be up there on the bandstand." When it clicks, Wolff adds, the duties of a bandleader can feel effortless: "Having a group to me is like casting a movie: If you have the right people, you don't have to say much. You just kind of do the work."