While best known for its beer, Milwaukee is now getting on the map with the Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra (MJO) , developed by saxist Curt Hanrahan and drummer Walt Hanrahan. This album is filled with enthusiastic charts, with some big brass punching hard, with a mix of wild chords and solos ike Kyle Seifert’s warm and wild tenor sax. There’s a funky drive to the soul jazz groove of “We All Love Eddie Harris that is high on the boogaloo factor with pianist Jim Sodke riding along Hanrahan’s ride cymbal like he was cracking the whip on a wagon train.
Hanrahan’s soprano sears through a thoroughly modern take of “Sweet Georgia Brown” along with some percolating percussion, while the hi hat gives a “Shaft” beat that gradually builds up into a V8 of a climax with Nolan Thomas’ flute riding the musical wave like a longboarder. This is a fun one!