Unlike, say, the Bad Plus and their quirky '70s rock covers, there's little to rile jazz purists with the Atlantis crew and their bop-heavy original compositions. But there is an electrifying energy that reaches beyond traditional jazz crowds, from the kinetic, careful interplay between guitarist Zacc Harris and saxophonist Brandon Wozniak to the trot-to-gallop horsepower of the Chris Bates/Pete Hennig rhythm section. You can see them a lot at the Artists' Quarter or the Dakota.

Runner-up: Fuzzy Math