Mai tais, coconuts and … jazz? A free-spirited dance fest will take over Thursday’s Melting Point jazz series. Fans will be able to witness Kinky Waikiki and Squat as they both grace the establishment with their unique sounds.

Kinky Waikiki opens for Squat. Its sound is one that combines a Hawaiian vibe with the Swing era. Their Facebook page states their influences as “mai tais and coconuts” and their interests as “da howlies.” Waikiki is a band that lives to play swayable, summery music all while tearing down expectations.

As eyes begin to glisten over with joy, Squat will enter on stage. Squat’s version of jazz is guaranteed to cross every barrier and boundary imaginable. From Afro-Caribbean to New Orleans to classic blues, they play it all. Former drummer Dwayne Holloway will add to the mixes, reuniting with the band for September.

“It’s like a family reunion. Dwayne will be back playing for us, Tommy will be playing, and Carlton, our original drummer, will be playing for [Kinky Waikiki],” said Carl Lindberg, Squat band member.

With Holloway back, fans will have the opportunity to hear old favorites like “Sea Song” from the Tales From the Side of the Road album. The original members are excited to reminisce with their old sound.

“It was fun to go through our old CDs that Dwayne played on and pick tracks that we haven’t played in many years,” said Trey Wright, Squat guitarist. The band plans to play both old and new sounds for the series Thursday.

What began as a jam session has transitioned into a full-blown experience. Wright and Lindberg originally met while taking a jazz class taught by Steve Dancz. Their enjoyable practices stemmed the idea of a band.

Lindberg, Wright, Holloway and Somerville joined together to create their quartet. What followed was a lot of music playing. The most notable was with Dancz at the World Festival of Sacred Music, where they had the opportunity to be in a music tour in India.

“We met the Dalai Lama. We played music with people all over the world,” Lindberg said. It proved to be a defining experience for the band and created the boundary-less sound that fans enjoy and listen to today.

Both Kinky Waikiki and Squat give a new meaning to what jazz is and should be.