With a name like Jazz Mandolin Project, a band would have to expect some preconceptions from listeners. But whether these assumptions are good or bad, the band's founder, Jamie Masefield, is happy to be returning on Wednesday to Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., even if some people might not consider his mandolin-driven trio "bar music."

"People who haven't heard us before often say it's nothing like what they expected," he said.

Masefield is the mandolin-playing front man of the Jazz Mandolin Project, a musical concept he first came up with in 1993. The project's main focus has been to fulfill his original desire to play fresh, freeform jazz without having to stick to traditional rules of any genre.

The current lineup includes upright bassist Danton Boller and drummer Greg Gonzalez, though Masefield and Boller recently finished performing some shows with Phish drummer and Project veteran Jon Fishman. The trio has played together for three years.

Although they do play some well-known jazz standards every once in a while, the Project often explores several different genres during a set, including techno, drum and bass, progressive rock and world music.

But just as he has always wanted to push the barriers of jazz, Masefield has always pushed the barriers of what is usually expected from his instrument. He first began playing the mandolin in college, after switching from the tenor banjo, a similarly tuned instrument frequently used in traditional New Orleans jazz. "I started learning old jazz tunes, like songs Louis Armstrong would play," Masefield said. "And I just decided that the mandolin was the best of the two instruments for modern jazz. I wanted to play jazz on the mandolin."

The mandolin is a small guitar-like instrument with four pairs of strings that are usually tuned in unison to create a more full-sounding chorus effect. The instrument is commonly used to create both melody and rhythm in traditional bluegrass or folk music. Masefield, however, had very little bluegrass background, and was never influenced to stick strictly to one genre. "It's just not the world I come from," he said. "After playing for 16 years, you hear all kinds of different types of music. It just comes with time."

Masefield played in several bands in the Vermont music scene before deciding to form his own personal project in 1993. He started booking one date a month at a local non-profit coffeehouse and found some musicians that he felt could explore several areas of music and have fun without focusing on monetary success.

The group's exposure grew, and it soon recorded the Project's self-titled first album and toured until December of 1997, when Masefield decided to change the musicians he was working with for a fresh start.

The band's 1998 lineup included bassist Chris Dahlgren and college friend Fishman. This incarnation toured and rehearsed extensively, and then recorded the group's second album, Tour De Flux.

The Project has always been based somewhat on the principle of change, and since that tour has featured a constant rotation of several different drummers, including Scott Neumann, Ari Hoenig, Fishman and Gonzalez. Masefield said he enjoys how different drummers shape the music differently. "It's really an interesting process," he said. "Some guys will play a song just the way I always thought it should sound. But other drummers don't do it exactly the same, and I can suggest to them to change it or keep it their way. It's really the best way to figure out how a song should sound."

Wednesday's show takes place on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Masefield said the group did deliberate if playing on this particular date would be a good idea, but he doesn't expect it to be a problem.

"Last year, we played three days after Sept. 11, and we really did have to consider whether or not we wanted to play on that day," said Masefield. "But people came out. I think people needed to get out and do something creative."

Tickets are being sold in advance for $10 and will cost $12 at the door. The show is all ages, and doors open at 8 p.m.