HARVEY SIDERS: THE NEW SMITHFIELD TRIO AT BEN MOORE'S >>>

Three decades ago, Olympia’s 10-piece Latin jazz band, Obrador (meaning workshop), helped bridge the cultural gap between the United States and Cuba. That pulsating experiment begat the Caribbean-flavored quartet, Ocho Pies (translation: “eight feet” â€" the standard number found in most quartets.) This may sound like the law of diminishing returns, but Ocho Pies begat the New Smithfield Trio, who’ll be playing at Ben Moore’s Restaurant in Olympia tonight. That threesome â€" the original rhythm section for Obrador â€" remains intact, and you can hear how the experimental pulsations have also remained intact. Pianist Michael Moore, son of the late Ben Moore; bassist Steve Luceno; and drummer Steve Bentley were booked by Michael Olson, who not only books all the bands at Ben Moore’s, but also founded Obrador, for whom he played conga drums. Why Smithfield? Olson told me, “That was the original name of Olympia.”

[Ben Moore’s, The New Smithfield Trio, Syd Potter, Steve Munger, 9 p.m., no cover, 112 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.357.7257]