Led by saxophonist/composer John Lurie, the Lounge Lizards emerged in New York City in the early '80s, arising out of the downtown jazz scene and the ashes of the mercurial no-wave post-punk movement. Initially labelled as everything from punk-jazz to fake jazz, they combined a post-bop approach with elements of spy noir, cartoon music, and Kurt Weill. Powered by the improvisations of Lurie and his pianist brother Evan (and initially by noise guitarist Arto Lindsay), they became a New York institution, the center of an avant-garde axis peopled with a changing cast of characters (Marc Ribot, Curtis Fowlkes, et al.) that revolved around the venerable Knitting Factory club. John Lurie's appearances in a number of cult films helped broaden the appeal of the group and of its numerous spinoffs.