Where did jazz come from? Where is it going? These two latest releases from the free form Rare Noise Records label tries to answer the questions. But is it with more questions?
The Interstatic Trio, consisting of Roy Powell/B3, Jacob Young/g and Djarle Vespestad/dr work on mixing 70s progressive rock into the jazz realm. Some fuzzy guitar gets hard rocking on the stomping “Doozy Mugwump Blues” and even bluesier on “In The Beginning.” Shades of Emerson, Lake and Palmer show up on the jamming “Alpha Dog” and all that’s missing on the psychedelic “Caerbannog” are the black light posters, as Powell hits the keys almost as hard as Vesperstad hits the skins. Head banging jazz!
The team of Cuong Vu/tp and Richard Karpen/p deliver a tribute of sorts to Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington with a supporting team of Luke Berman/b, Ted Poor/dr and various “live electronics iPad performers”. This salute of sorts is a interconnected suite that opens with a fierce and frenzied drum solo that eventually segues into a gentle and melodic take of “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing. ‘But before you can catch your breath, brooding and ravenously dark bass and piano on “Billy” turns into a squealing “Duke”. A fragile “In a Sentimental Mood” veers into free flowing trumpet, with sparks flying in all directions on a “Lush Life” that but hints at the introduction. An avalanche of noise closes the conglomeration with a “Mood Indigo” that might just bring Russell Procope up from the grave. Duke Ellington once said there are two kinds of music; good and the other kind. Hmmm
Rare Noise Records