ANTHROSLOP / THE STORY SO FAR

For the joy
of making it.

We wanted to jam with great musicians. That was the whole idea.

No stack of songs to learn. No pressure to form a band and make an album. Just get together and play, and see what happens.

We called it Jazz Odyssey, a name inspired by Spinal Tap. Sean Ashe and Matt Hopper were the founding duo, with Jobany Betancourt and J.C. Sanchez as founding band members.

Sean is an engineer, so naturally, we recorded everything.

Four Jazz Odyssey members together, holding their instruments. — Jazz Odyssey / May 2023

FROM JAZZ ODYSSEY TO ANTHROSLOP

Now take it
to the stage.

Anthroslop is about the live experience. You give us a song title, and we turn it into a song. Everything is improvised. A familiar groove might come around, but nobody knows quite where it’s going.

The lineup rotated heavily from the start, with different drummers and bassists coming through. When finding a consistent bassist proved difficult, we kept rotating and developed a core pool of musicians to draw from. We’re all multi-instrumentalists, and sometimes we swap in the middle of a song. Friends join us on sax, flute, synth, bass, or whatever they bring.

There are many more sessions from 2023–2025 still to be released. For now, we want to keep playing, find a Sacramento residency, and build a community around being there.

The joy of creation. And that’s that.

Friends we met along the way

It led to
more playing.

The sessions helped us get to know more musicians around Sacramento—and get to know each other better.

Sean met Jobany through Jazz Odyssey. Jobany helped get Sean into playing live. Sean and Matt began playing together through the sessions; Matt went on to take more gigs and joined Kauer Guitars.

Jobany’s appetite for live music grew too, and he now has Grupo Cumbazio. J.C. Sanchez has always brought both sides of his work to the group: drummer and producer.

What began as a reason to jam became a lot of friendships and a lot more music.

The founding four · All multi-instrumentalists

Sean Ashe

Co-founderTom Anderson guitars

Matt Hopper

Co-founderKauer guitars

Jobany Betancourt

Founding memberOften at the Nord

J.C. Sanchez

Founding memberDrums

These are some of our instruments. Nobody’s tied to one.

Photos from Jazz Odyssey

From
the sessions.

Three musicians playing guitar and bass in the Jazz Odyssey room. — 01 / MAY 2023
Guitars and bass / May 2023

Guitarist playing a cream electric guitar, photographed through reflected light. — 02 / MAY 2023
Guitar / May 2023

A musician playing a green bass with a keyboard nearby. — 03 / MAY 2023
Bass / May 2023

A keyboard player with a guitarist playing behind him. — 04 / MAY 2023
Keys / May 2023

A drummer wearing headphones behind a miked drum kit. — 05 / MARCH 2024
Drums / March 2024

Five musicians together in a room full of instruments and colored light. — 06 / MARCH 2025
After a session / March 2025

From our Jazz Odyssey photo archive ↗

We record every show

The shows.
The recordings.

We record every show. We’re building a portal where people who were there can get a free copy of the audio and video when it’s released.

How to get a recording ↗

Audio.
Video.
The whole set.

A FEW THINGS PEOPLE ASK

About the music.

What is Generative Human Music?

People making music together in real time. The audience gives us a song title, and we improvise the song live.

Do you really swap instruments mid-song?

Yes. We are all multi-instrumentalists, and sometimes we switch instruments while the song is still happening.

Was the band called Jazz Odyssey?

Yes. The original name was inspired by Spinal Tap. Anthroslop is the next chapter, with a focus on the live experience.

Can I get a recording of the show I attended?

We record audio and video of every show. We’re building an attendee portal: scan the QR code at the show, join the mailing list, and receive a free copy of that night’s audio and video when it is released. Show access and signup are not open yet.

How do I give the band a song title?

Bring one to a show. The title-slip tool here is for you to save; it does not send a request to the band.

For the joy of making it.

Now take it to the stage.

It led to more playing.