Here for the party: Hyim, center, with bandmates Mark Calderon, left, and Ajayi Jackson, funks it out at the Elbo Room.

The main show began when a stylishly accoutred Hyim, resembling an upscale young man in the Marina out for a night of clubbing in a jacket, dress shirt, and hat, sashayed onto the stage over booty-backing polyrhythms played by two percussionists, a drummer, bassist, and tenor saxophonist on shaker. "Whenever I say, 'Pab,' you say, 'Lo,'" Hyim yelled into his mic in reference to percussionist Pablo Soto.

The crowd followed his directions, trading off with him – all slowly building in intensity until the room filled with shouts of fervor. Then he launched into "Speaking in Tongues," a soulful come-hither song off the new record, featuring jazzy keys and a sweet melody. Jesse Levitt played a gloriously raspy tenor saxophone solo while Hyim comped underneath on his keyboard.

Down in the crowd, a middle-aged white man in a wrinkled shirt bobbed his head to the beat like a duck preparing for flight, moving his body along as if he'd just learned to use his limbs. He got up on his tiptoes, flapped his arms, and pumped his legs before disappearing into the rest of the audience.

Alto saxophonist Marcus Stevens, trombonist Charlie Wilson, and trumpeter Marina Garza climbed onto the stage shortly thereafter. Hyim talked about sex and the plethora of condoms he had to give away during the musical downtime. One of the rubbers flew into the audience and hit a girl on the arm as the complete Fat Foakland Orchestra launched into the next tune, "Let Me Go." The blaring horn section upped the fun quotient, but Garza's solo and fills, replete with Dizzy Gillespie upper-register runs and Freddie Hubbard-inspired intervallic trills, were out of tune.

Nonetheless, the band impressed with its ability to make the crowd shake it like a Polaroid picture the whole night. Hippies, twentysomething tweakers, middle-aged ladies – all of them succumbed to the groove established by drummer Michael Faiella and the effortlessly funky bass of Mark Calderon, who has played with the Meters' Leo Nocentelli. Ajayi Jackson gave a strong performance, pounding out Afro-Cuban beats in compound time on percussion and playing some down-and-dirty blues on the keyboard. And with guest raps from O-Maya MC Rico Pabon and ((SAOCO))'s Dos-4 and Manu Negra, the whole night felt like one packed, sweaty dance party as Hyim slowly disrobed till he was performing with his chest bared.

Opener JP Cutler struck a more somber note with his folk songs. He whispered his vocals over droning tunes that moved between spare contemplation and heavy metal saturation via an idiosyncratic fingerpicking guitar style reminiscent of NPR darling Kaki King. Cutler sounded great, but his music stuck out next to Hyim's funky set. It looked like an indie rock show, with the floor in front of the stage devoid of life and the edges of the room crowded with onlookers struck with ennui yet mindful of the music. Motion Potion, however, enlivened the downtime between sets by spinning jazz break beats, Afro-Cuban grooves, and classic rock songs transformed into dance-floor tracks.

But the life of the party was Hyim. Whenever he got onstage, throngs of listeners materialized. Once he started singing, they all started dancing – no matter their age, race, gender, or ability. They swayed and shook, enraptured, until he stopped. Then they disappeared into the wee hours of the morning with hands and pockets possibly filled with free condoms. Hyim plays with the JP Cutler Band Thurs/30-Sun/3, High Sierra Music Festival, Quincy. www.hsmusic.net. He also performs at a Clean Fuel Caravan Coalition benefit, July 23, Independent, SF. www.ticketweb.com. (Alex K. Fong)