For the next two nights (January 27 and 28) Australian minimalist jazz trio The Necks will be playing at Issue Project Room. If you're a fan of mesmerizing improv jazz with some krautrock tendencies thrown in the mix, then attendance at one (or both) of these shows is going to be a must.

Coming together in the late '80s, The Necks have been releasing albums and playing live ever since. They've received much acclaim in their home country and in Europe. The only times that they've appeared in the U.S. have been a gig at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2001 and a brief tour three-week tour last February. These Issue Project Room shows are the only U.S. dates on their calendar right now, so this is a pretty rare chance to catch the group.

Here's a nice quote from a Guardian article about the band:

"They produce a post-jazz, post-rock, post-everything sonic experience that has few parallels or rivals. Sure, there are some interesting antecedents, from Terry Riley through to late-1960s Miles Davis; from Steve Reich's Come Out to This Heat's 24 Track Loop; from dub to trance. But those examples largely drew upon technological or compositional imperatives. By comparison, the Necks are totally exposed, with no scores or theories to hide behind. They are just three musicians seizing the moment. They may be teaching us to listen in a new way, but they communicate a fierce energy and warmth at the same time."

Below, watch videos of The Necks performing live.

Tickets for the show are available here: January 27 and January 28.

The Necks in Sydney:

The Necks in Moscow:

The Necks - "Kilt Maker" - live on "The Pulse":