  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 4.500 Ft
|
|
| 1. | Mob Rule Invocation
|
| 2. | Mob Rule 1
|
| 3. | Black and Tan Fantasy
|
| 4. | Mob Rule 2/Little Liza Jane
|
| 5. | Sign O the Times
|
| 6. | Down on the Farm
|
| 7. | This Never Happened to the Other Guy
|
| 8. | Mob Rule 3
|
| 9. | This Never Happened, Pt. 2
|
| 10. | Blue and Sentimental
|
| 11. | Kenny Supreme
|
| 12. | Darling Nikki
|
| 13. | Odd Job
|
| 14. | You Only Live Twice
|
| 15. | Mob Rule 4
|
| 16. | Artie Shaw
|
Jazz / Modern Creative, Post-Bop, Avant-Garde Jazz
Briggan Krauss Group Member, Sax (Alto)
John Medeski Organ
Kenny Wollesen Percussion, Group Member, Drums
Niklaus Troxler Producer
Tony Scherr Group Member, Bass
Sex Mob was formed in October 1995 to play the "late nite hang" at the Knitting Factory, the now legendary mecca for downtown music in NYC. The band, consisting of Steven Bernsetein (slide trumpet) Briggan Drauss (alto sax) Tony Scherr (bass) and Kenny Wollesen (drums), started ff playing original compositions, but was soon drawing crowds to their all night parties with inspired and upredictable covers. Their first release "Din Of Inequity" was released thru Columbia records and featured John Medeski on the organ. This led to years of touring in the US and Europe, and the creation of a singular and unique musical language, and a powerhouse live band which combined the power of The Who with the subtlety pf Ellington, encompassed in a modern groove all their own. Slowly, this music has crept into the mainstream, with a Grammy nomination for the band's 2006 cd, "SEXOTICA" (from Thirsty Ear). This recording completes a circle, with the addition , once again, of old friend John Medeski, for a combination of wild intensity and careful listening. Giving birth to their own vibe, they continue their unique musical conversation, one they've been having for over a decade now.
After about a decade of issuing recordings, Sex Mob finally released an album in their natural element: live. The albums are great, no doubt about that, but anyone who has seen Sex Mob in action knows that's where they really thrive. It's also a nice contrast since the studio albums all employ at least a bit of studio production tricks (courtesy of Scotty Hard) but that can't be done for a real live album. So here they are in Switzerland, at the Willisau Jazz Festival in 2006 with old friend John Medeski sitting in on keyboards. It's a shame the visual element is missing because leader Steven Bernstein conducts this band with a mixture of hand gestures, eye contact, and telepathy, and shapes the music as they go. In much the same way as John Zorn conducts the Masada Strings or Bar Kokhba, Bernstein is in control of dynamics, tempo, and arrangements so the same tune can sound completely different depending on how it's conducted. While you can't see how the band is run, you can hear that these guys are all clearly on the same page. The program is performed as three suites of music, and aside from the breaks between suites, you'd be hard pressed to tell where one tune ends and the next begins. The transitions are more than seamless, they're practically imperceptible. And that's not necessarily easy when moving from the traditional "Liza Jane" to "Sign O the Times" to the old chestnut "Down on the Farm," or from Basie to free improv to Prince. The first suite stars slow, feeling its way until Medeski joins a couple minutes into Ellington's "Black and Tan Fantasy" and on through the rousing "Down on the Farm," where Medeski turns in some nice organ work. The second suite starts off much more moody and mysterious (with some great playing from Briggan Krauss), then slides gently into the easygoing "Blue and Sentimental" before the (presumably) conducted improv of "Kenny Supreme." "Darling Nikki" closes this suite on a high note, alternating between driving swing and completely going off the tracks. "Odd Job" gives that classic James Bond sound while "You Only Live Twice" is another highlight with some soulful Hammond courtesy of Medeski and some deranged trumpet from Bernstein. The suite closes with a couple short Bernstein originals. These guys are fun, they're not afraid to take chances, and they can swing like crazy. There's no substitute for actually seeing the band live, but Live in Willisau gives us a good aural glimpse of what they can do in that setting. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
Sex Mob
Active Decades: '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Modern Creative, Avant-Garde Jazz
Sex Mob began merely as a setting to feature the slide trumpet of leader Steven Bernstein, but has grown into a band with a much larger mission: to put the fun back in jazz music. After assembling the band (Bernstein, slide trumpet; Briggan Krauss, alto sax; Tony Scherr, bass; Kenny Wollesen, drums), Sex Mob began a residency at the Knitting Factory, playing predominantly originals written by Bernstein. During a special evening of film music, the crowd went crazy for the "James Bond Theme," and Bernstein realized that the audience was much more attuned to their playing when they recognized the tune. The band started to expand their songbook, but not to the same old, tired jazz standards. Songs by Prince, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and even the "Macarena" could find their way into a Sex Mob set, the only rule being that the song had to have such a strong melody that it could withstand serious deconstruction. Bernstein said in Jazz Asylum, "I realize that's what jazz musicians have always done. That's how Lester Young got popular; its how Charlie Parker got popular; it's how Miles Davis got popular; that's how John Coltrane got popular. They played the songs that everyone knew and because they could recognize the song, then that invited them into their style."
Word of mouth began to spread about their live shows, with Bernstein's on-stage antics and the band's amazing musicianship as the focal points. Bernstein is one of the more active bandleaders out there, constantly dictating arrangements to the other musicians, and letting them have it when they don't deliver what he wants. They never rehearse and they never have a set list, which keeps things constantly fresh. Their weekly gigs eventually got them voted as New York City's best band in 2000.
Sex Mob's 1998 debut, Din of Inequity, was the only release of a short-lived agreement between Knitting Factory Records and Columbia Jazz. Augmented by two guitarists (Adam Levy and London McDaniels) and keyboard powerhouse John Medeski, Sex Mob romped through a program mostly of covers and a handful of Bernstein originals. 2000 saw the release of Solid Sender on Knitting Factory, as well as the self-released Theatre & Dance. Solid Sender is another mix of covers (Nirvana, Rolling Stones, ABBA) mixed with more Bernstein originals, some of which serve as short bridges between tunes. Solid Sender also uses a wider variety of guests, including DJ Logic and a string trio featuring Charles Burnham. Theatre & Dance is split between Duke Ellington compositions commissioned by choreographer Donald Byrd for a dance entitled In a Different Light: Duke Ellington, and Bernstein originals written for a revival of the 1926 Mae West play Sex.
2001 brought a change in label, from Knitting Factory to Ropeadope, and an album with a less kaleidoscopic selection of songs. Sex Mob Does Bond has the Mob (again with John Medeski) burning through the John Barry songbook, covering a host of tunes written for the first five James Bond movies. For 2003's Dime Grind Palace, Sex Mob focused on Bernstein originals with a myriad guests including trombonist Roswell Rudd. 2006's Sexotica on Thirsty Ear was a homage to the soundscapes of Martin Denny.
Steven Bernstein sums up the Sex Mob ethos like this: "Jazz used to be popular music. People would go out to clubs, listen to the music, go home, and get laid. Simple as that. We're bringing that spirit back."
---Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
