Monthly Archives: December 2005

Review : Chicago Tribune

December 13, 2005 Reviews. Tags , .

Chicago Tribune
December 13th, 2005
Breaking the Mold – Flatlands Collective, Kneebody spin jazz in opposite directions.

Like fire and ice, the two emerging bands that played Wednesday night at HotHouse hardly could have been more diametrically opposed.

Yet despite stylistic differences, they shared at least one critical trait: Each was determined to toss jazz convention to the winds and did so with unmistakable eloquence.

Dutch saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra created the Flatlands Collective not long after he moved to to the U.S. in 2002 and began collaborating with Chicago musicians. But if the Midwest’s topography inspired the name of the band, it had scant effect on the nature of Dijkstra’s music, which was anything but flat.

Richly textured, subtly nuanced and built on multiple layers of melody, the music of the Collective merged the free-thinking nature of the Chicago avant-garde with elements of contemporary European classical composition. Much of this music suggested an intensely cerebral exercise, with carefully engineered stop-start rhythms, delicate dabs of electronically produced sound and a nearly complete avoidance of a straightforward beat.

When the band ventured into the occasional swing passage, one was startled to hear it, since practically everything else about this ensemble steered clear of the jazz mainstream.

If at first the music sounded so diffuse and muted as to lack coherence, before long the repertoire became more lucid and structured (or did our ears simply become adjusted to its aesthetic?). The other-worldly hums and drones that Dijkstra produced on lyricon, which might be described as a kind of digital clarinet wired to a computer, were answered by pungent bursts of dissonance from the rest of the band in a piece titled “Slitch.”

And in the last work of the set, “Dipje,” the band produced the exquisite blends of instrumental color one might sooner expect from a classical chamber ensemble.

In the end, the Flatlands Collective linked the intellectual firepower of the Dutch free-jazz scene with the instrumental virtuosity of some of Chicago’s most accomplished creative improvisers, including trombonist Jeb Bishop and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm.

Though the band still must be considered a work-in-progress, it deserves respect for the unorthodox musical direction it’s pursuing.

If the Flatlands Collective aimed for a studious brand of jazz, the comparably adventurous Kneebody–making its Chicago debut–strove for a much more visceral, accessible, beat-driven sound. Though not exactly dance music, the band’s rock-tinged backbeats, back-to-basics riffs and motor-rhythm passages suggested it was playing for an audience that approaches jazz from a pop perspective.

Even so, there was much more here than a casual listening might suggest. Just when the band seemed to be sinking into a rhythmic groove, it sabotaged expectations by changing or suspending its tempo or meter. And by juicing up its acoustic work with keyboard electronics and other computer-processed sound, Kneebody italicized its every gesture.

Some of the most impressive work came from keyboardist Adam Benjamin, who produced a galaxy of space-age sound, while trumpeter Shane Endsley and tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel formed a taut and muscular front line.

-Howard Reich

Review : Westword

December 8, 2005 Reviews. Tags , .

Westword
December 8th, 2005

Giving the modern jazz world a much-needed kick in the ass, Kneebody has assembled a quirky brand of improv-based crossover jazz that’s as refreshing as it is expressive. The New York/Los Angeles-based quintet’s sound, which borrows equally from traditional jazz, hip-hop, rock and electronica, is anchored by hard-hitting beats and bass lines and tastefully bolstered by soulful ’60s horn lines and ambient electronic noises. This unique approach reflects the diversity and experience of the individual members (keyboardist Adam Benjamin, bassist Kaveh Rastegar, drummer Nate Wood, saxman Ben Wendel and trumpeter Shane Endsley, a Denver native) — who collectively have backed an assortment of artists such as Snoop Dogg, Ani DiFranco, Chaka Khan and Ravi Coltrane, among others. And unlike a lot of neo-jazz fusion groups, Kneebody’s penchant for the groove never gets tedious. Although the players are apt to change keys or tempos at will — they’ve developed a unique system of cues that they employ live to keep the arrangements fresh and evolving — you don’t have to wade through ten-minute-long atonal freakouts just to get back to the original jam.

Shawn Bauer

Review : All About Jazz

December 7, 2005 Reviews. Tags , .

All About Jazz
December 7th, 2005
Kneebody

When trumpeter Dave Douglas parted ways with RCA/Bluebird—which released his projects between 2000 and 2004—he created Greenleaf Music to allow him better control over both his art and its delivery. He also planned to bring exposure to other artists. The first non-Douglas release on the new label, the self-titled debut by Kneebody, fits perfectly with Douglas’ view that music should transcend labels and artificial stylistic restrictions.

A quintet of players who have worked with artists as diverse as Ani DiFranco, Snoop Dogg, and Steve Coleman, Kneebody brings that very diversity to its own music, combining focused yet vivid improvisational interplay with detailed writing, and a sonic palette ranging from the purely acoustic to the outrageously electric. While it’s not a fusion band by any standard definition, Kneebody’s trans-genre approach is nevertheless fusion in the broader sense of the word. Much like Lost Tribe—the 1990s band which ultimately brought significant attention to its members, including saxophonist David Binney, guitarist Adam Rogers, and drummer Ben Perowsky—Kneebody manages to combine visceral groove with cerebral musical ideas, making its arrival on the scene a significant one.

With the exception of drummer Nate Wood, everyone in the quintet—keyboardist Adam Benjamin, trumpeter Shane Endsley, bassist Kaveh Rastegar, and saxophonist Ben Wendel—contributes compositions to the disc, but it’s remarkable how unified the band’s vision remains. While it’s difficult to avoid comparisons to Lost Tribe, Kneebody retains a sound all its own, with an even broader stylistic purview. But the way that Endsley and Wendl’s lines intertwine—winding, snakelike, between unison and harmonies that range from close to open—begs comparison to the knotty writing of Binney and Rogers.

While there’s a strong funk element, it’s often with an aggressive edge that clearly leans more towards rock territory. Benjamin’s “Never Remember” shifts from a pedal-to-the-metal groove by Wood and Rastegar to a middle section that’s lighter in texture, before heading into a hard-hitting outro featuring Benjamin’s distorted Wurlitzer. Endsley’s “I’m Your General” finds Benjamin feeding his electric piano through a ring modulator and Rastegar’s fuzz-toned bass referencing ex-Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper. Rastegar’s evocative ballad “Victory Lap,” with its memorable theme, proves that Kneebody can relax the pace and approach the lyrical with equal intent.

With nearly half of the album’s dozen tracks under three minutes, one might expect a compositional focus. Still, Rastegar’s one-minute “Wide-Eyed”—a trumpet/bass/drums trio—is more about interplay, whereas Wendel’s “Clime Pt. I” and “Pt II” both blur the line, with clearly detailed horn lines resting over the more open-ended electronic backdrop created by Benjamin, Rastegar, and Wood.

With Kneebody’s intrepid collage of influences, Douglas’ interest in the group will come as no surprise. Purists will undoubtedly be offended by Kneebody’s blending of technology into the mix, not to mention the group’s sometimes aggressive rock stance; but for those who want to hear how the jazz vernacular is being reshaped and the improvisational spirit re-contextualized, Kneebody is a band—and an album—well worth checking out.

All About Jazz – December Issue – By John Kelman