SNARKY PUPPY - Culcha Vulcha
Ground Up Music / Universal Music Classics
Cory Henry, Bill Laurence, Justin Stanton, Bobby Sparks (multiple keys) Michael League,(bs keys leader) Chris McQueen, Bob Lanzetti (gtr) Mark Letteri (bar gtr) Jay Jennings (tpt flg) Mike Mayer (tpt) Chris Bullock (tnr flt) Bob Reynolds (tnr) Zach Brock (vln) Jason Thomas, Robert Searight, Larnell Lewis (drs) Nate Werth, Keita Ogawa, Marcello Woloski (misc perc)
Averaging over 120 shows a year during their twelve year performing span to date, Michael League's Brooklyn based Grammy Award winning band are one of the busiest jazz orientated outfits in the world. With albums already released by leading band members Bill Laurence and Cory Henry and more to come plus a World Tour planned to commence in May the pace should continue through 2016. Recorded at The Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, the band have called upon nineteen of their forty strong artist collective to lay down nine fusion based tracks on this their first studio recording for some eight years.
The music on this album forms a highly creative aural landscape, full of changing tonality and harmonies that hold the listeners attention for it's full fifty seven minute duration. All the pieces are composed by band members and benefit from the leader's imaginative arrangements. The mood is set by the opener "Tarova", where after a percussive intro the tune falls into an easy medium tempo groove taken on by a cross section of the multiple keyboards on top of a hard working rhythm section. The following "Semente" introduces the flute of Chris Bullock before the featured trumpet man Jay Jennings plays a fine solo over the background percussion choir. The ever changing soundscape of one of the many album highlights "Gemini" is dark and brooding with light background vocals and the slide guitar of Mark Letteri adding to the ambient atmosphere. The tempo rises with the leaders own composition "Grown Folks" where his own bass guitar is at the top of the mix before stabbing trumpet licks and Bob Reynolds fine tenor interjection over massed keyboards bring a stirring eight minutes to conclusion as the leader signs off. There is heavy back beat and multiple percussion behind the electric piano, organ and guitar sounds of "Beep Box" written by Chris Bullock where the overall feeling created is something close to being beside a waterfall in full flow.Michael League's electric bass leads the way on the nine minute "Go" where unrelenting drums, unison keys and trumpets turn this into a multi layered hypnotic master piece which reaches it's peak with a stunning electric piano solo from Bill Laurence. Guitarist Bob Lanzetti's jaunty theme to "Simple Life" creates a mood of calm before the atmospheric "Paleromo" with it's multiple tempo changes, subtle harmonies and serene beauty culminating in an unaccompanied Mike Maher trumpet solo take thing's to even greater heights. The album concludes with the extended piece "Big Ugly", which is not ugly at all, but a panorama of sound colours taking listeners down uncharted pathways, with the guitars bending notes in all directions before the final descending bars.
There are fifteen separate keyboard instruments and twenty two pieces of miscellaneous percussion that give this recording such atmosphere, but it is the sheer quality of the composing, arranging and musicianship that place it firmly within the "must have" category.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
Ground Up Music / Universal Music Classics
Cory Henry, Bill Laurence, Justin Stanton, Bobby Sparks (multiple keys) Michael League,(bs keys leader) Chris McQueen, Bob Lanzetti (gtr) Mark Letteri (bar gtr) Jay Jennings (tpt flg) Mike Mayer (tpt) Chris Bullock (tnr flt) Bob Reynolds (tnr) Zach Brock (vln) Jason Thomas, Robert Searight, Larnell Lewis (drs) Nate Werth, Keita Ogawa, Marcello Woloski (misc perc)
Averaging over 120 shows a year during their twelve year performing span to date, Michael League's Brooklyn based Grammy Award winning band are one of the busiest jazz orientated outfits in the world. With albums already released by leading band members Bill Laurence and Cory Henry and more to come plus a World Tour planned to commence in May the pace should continue through 2016. Recorded at The Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, the band have called upon nineteen of their forty strong artist collective to lay down nine fusion based tracks on this their first studio recording for some eight years.
The music on this album forms a highly creative aural landscape, full of changing tonality and harmonies that hold the listeners attention for it's full fifty seven minute duration. All the pieces are composed by band members and benefit from the leader's imaginative arrangements. The mood is set by the opener "Tarova", where after a percussive intro the tune falls into an easy medium tempo groove taken on by a cross section of the multiple keyboards on top of a hard working rhythm section. The following "Semente" introduces the flute of Chris Bullock before the featured trumpet man Jay Jennings plays a fine solo over the background percussion choir. The ever changing soundscape of one of the many album highlights "Gemini" is dark and brooding with light background vocals and the slide guitar of Mark Letteri adding to the ambient atmosphere. The tempo rises with the leaders own composition "Grown Folks" where his own bass guitar is at the top of the mix before stabbing trumpet licks and Bob Reynolds fine tenor interjection over massed keyboards bring a stirring eight minutes to conclusion as the leader signs off. There is heavy back beat and multiple percussion behind the electric piano, organ and guitar sounds of "Beep Box" written by Chris Bullock where the overall feeling created is something close to being beside a waterfall in full flow.Michael League's electric bass leads the way on the nine minute "Go" where unrelenting drums, unison keys and trumpets turn this into a multi layered hypnotic master piece which reaches it's peak with a stunning electric piano solo from Bill Laurence. Guitarist Bob Lanzetti's jaunty theme to "Simple Life" creates a mood of calm before the atmospheric "Paleromo" with it's multiple tempo changes, subtle harmonies and serene beauty culminating in an unaccompanied Mike Maher trumpet solo take thing's to even greater heights. The album concludes with the extended piece "Big Ugly", which is not ugly at all, but a panorama of sound colours taking listeners down uncharted pathways, with the guitars bending notes in all directions before the final descending bars.
There are fifteen separate keyboard instruments and twenty two pieces of miscellaneous percussion that give this recording such atmosphere, but it is the sheer quality of the composing, arranging and musicianship that place it firmly within the "must have" category.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
