Astral Project
VOODOO BOP
Compass 4268
available CD Universe
This quintet has won every major award New Orleans has to give to a Jazz band. It has won many national honors, and individually each of its pieces is considered to be one of the, if not the, top man on his chosen instrument. They have played together as a unit since 1978, though this band allows them the freedom to go out and pursue extraordinarily eclectic side projects with the likes of: Dr. John, Bobby McFerrin, Mose Allison, Jimmy Smith, James Booker, Dianna Reeves, and Zachary Richard to name just a very few. Even though each member is considered a leader on his instrument, yet when they reform as a group, bringing back the influences of the people and the projects that they have been working on, they function as seamless whole. In this era of prima donnadom this is a remarkable achievement for 5 such widely acclaimed musicians. One can guess mutual respect brings a cohesiveness that promotes the joy of playing with peers that also share a similar philosophy and synchronistic style. This is a band that is dedicated to improvisation. As a point of illustration in the 8 minute and 59 second 10+1 track THE QUEEN IS SLAVE TO NO MAN, only the first and last minute are composed, all the rest is improvised, or as they call it, "instant composition". The coherence of this composition belies its improvisational nature. The unity this group displays comes not only from working together for years, but from that more mysterious entity called 'chemistry'. They seem to know each other's thoughts of the moment and what changes certain variations will elicit from the other members of this group. This disc was recorded live in a large tracking room with no separations or overdubs. What you hear is what was laid down and not added to at all. Quite an achievement when you hear this disc with its varied New Orleans rhythms and complex structures. I think bassist James Singleton summed it up best, "You have to stay out of the way of the music, and then the reward is you get
something new that you didn't know before hand about yourself. If I close my eyes, I can learn more, I can get more. You find it's a transcendent experience." That about sums it up. This is fantastic disc that shows off an extremely melodious and rhythm oriented take on modern jazz.
Produced by - Astral Project
Songs, times, composers
- VOODOOBOP - 6:01
- SMOKE AND MIRRORS - 8:03
- SOMBRAS EN LA NOCHE (SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT) - 8:11
- FOXY ROXY - 5:22
- PROTECTING CIRCLE - 5:48
- THE WHOLE TRUTH - 5:11
- FALL OUT - 6:15
- SOUTHERN BLUE - 5:58
- DEB'S GARDEN - 4:27
- OLD FOLKS - 8:10
- 10+1, THE QUEEN IS SLAVE TO NO MAN - 8:59
Musicians
Tony Dagradi - tenor and soprano saxophone
Steve Masakowski - seven string guitar, acoustic guitar
James Singleton - bass
David Torkanowsky - piano and organ
John Vidacovich - drums and percussion, vocals on OLD FOLKS