Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey doing what they do best
Shawn K. Smith | Indianapolis, IN United States | 02/21/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is a particularly interesting band. Taken at face value they seem to be a Medeski, Martin, & Wood Clone or even a Bad Plus Clone. But they are honestly very different than either of those groups, and considering the band is in their 11th year of touring it would be hard to argue they are a clone of either of those bands. The music is a blend of avant garde, fusion, and post bop. They have no problem playing songs with a coherent melody and often they use themes as a jumping off point for wild improvisations. They are particularly fond of performing completely improvised songs.
Brian Haas is the man at the keyboard. He somehow fills the gap between Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor. He incorporates Monk's unique sense of time with the willingness to fly off wildly into the realm of avant/free playing whenever the opportunity presents itself. Reed Mathis plays Bass but can double on Cello, Guitar, Sitar, etc.. Reed often uses a wide variety of effects to obtain very unique sounds on his instrument ranging from squeaks and skwonks, to atmospheric waves, and even to violin and guitar sounds. Reed plays an important role in the band, and is faced with an interesting challenge. He must simultaneously keep up with the time blurring drumming of Jason Smart as well as the wild playing of Brian Haas. On top of that he is often the lead solo voice. Reed's ability to listen to what both Jason an Brian are doing and instantly adapt his playing as well as his ability as a soloist make him one of the most talented young bassists around. Jason Smart is a expressive drummer. He is able to stretch and skew time and simultaneously pick on the constant changes from Reed and Brian. Listening and adaptability define this band, but that isn't everything. Each member of the band can compose and can do so well. Jason Smart is an obvious stand out as a composer, but both Haas and Mathis have composed wonderful tunes for the band.
Enough about the band let's discuss this album in particular. First it must be stated that this album is actually titled Symbiosis Osmosis. If you look closely at the picture of the cover you can read that. More important than amazon's mislabeling is the music itself. This album is essentially all improvisations. The only improvisation that has any pre planned structure is 'Son of Jah,' which has a loose melody that implies a structure, but that structure isn't followed too closely. The first four songs are preformed by the trio of Haas, Mathis, and Smart. The improvisations are full of wildly exiting funky beats, with twists and turns at every step, and amazing solo work. They often seem to be able to read each other minds and react instantly. The interplay of these musicians is what makes them special, and there is no better display for this than their improvisations. The next ten songs are essentially one long improvisation with four guest saxophonists including Skerik and Mark Southerland. Long time fans of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey will remember that they began as a larger band that incorporated various horns, but have since scaled back to the trio lineup. This is an interesting opportunity to hear what these musicians sound like in that context. The imporv itself is a fine example of what this group can do. The group plays themes that run the gamut of jazz styles from swing to bebop to post bop to avant garde. The music is highly interesting and entertaining, and the addition of the horns allows the group to conjure up the demons of the Sun Ra Arkestra.
With that being said I would not recommend this to someone new to Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey primarily because it only has four songs that include only the trio. Also, this album fails to include any of the bands fantastic compositions, which simply have to be heard. However, I would say that any one who enjoys improvisational music or any one who enjoyed other albums by this band should check this one out, because it will not disappoint.
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Track Listings (15) - Disc #1