Made up of Peter Evans/tp, Jon Irabagon/sax-fl, Moppa Elliot/b and Kevin Shea/dr, MOPDTK is a band that has a heart of hard bop, but brew it with a mix of spiked expresso. They can deliver a gospel feel on “Can’t Tell Shipp from Shohola” and strut like they’re on Bourbon Street on “Sayre,” but they also like to venture onto the wild side streets of sound. A hint of Bad Plus tongue in cheekiness creeps in on “Yo, Yeo Yough” with Shea’s heavy hitting stick work. A quizzical “Dexter, Wayne and Mobley” is blues and infectious, but why don’t I even hear a tenor sax anywhere? Lots of energy flying around; definitely not for the ECM crowd!!!
Hot Cup Records