Photo by Andrea Canter

Who is Chill 7, and why is it “7” when there are only four musicians? Bandleader/tenor saxman Josh Brinkman’s only explanation is that at one time or another, the group has gone through 7 drummers. While he and guitarist Michael Burand formed Chill 7 in 2001 and appeared together on the group’s first recording, Big Fish Eat Little Fish (Aquarium Records, 2002), there has been turnover in the bass and drum chairs and the group has appeared with (and recorded with) keyboards as well. Today the quartet includes bassist Jason Swanson and drummer Andy Artz along with Brinkman and Burand. Artz also served as designer, mixmaster, and recording engineer for Probable Cause.

The Musicians

With 16 years experience on alto and tenor sax, Josh Brinkman played with various jazz and funk bands in the Washington, DC area before moving to the Twin Cities. Trained in jazz theory and performance at Virginia Tech, Brinkman has played with the funk band Slydeboots, the cover band The Junction, and Luckytown, a Minneapolis rock band.

Guitarist Michael Burand studied at the University of Minnesota–Duluth with regional artist Billy Barnard. Around Minnesota, he’s worked with jazz and blues bands, including the UMD guitar ensemble and The Junction; he’s also an accomplished banjoist.

Bassist Jason Swanson studied music at the University of Idaho and University of Minnesota. An accomplished classical bassist as well, Swanson plays both upright and electric bass, and works with area classical orchestras as well as Chill 7 and other small ensembles.

Drummer and Pittsburgh native Andy Artz grew up in Apple Valley, MN. He’s won numerous awards for composition and performance, including the Outstanding Soloist award (and accompanying scholarship) from the International Association of Jazz Educators at the 1995 Head of the Lakes Jazz Festival in Duluth. After graduation from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, he served as Music Director and drummer for Celebrity Cruises. Artz teaches young students and adults, and plays in a wide range of area bands including the Stan Bann Big Band.

Probable Cause

As noted in their liner notes, Chill 7’s new recoding marks a transition from emulating their heroes (particularly Miles and Coltrane) to going their own way. While their foundation has been modern jazz standards, their future may lie in the more “danceable and groovy” meadow between jazz and funk. Both ends of their self-ascribed spectrum are represented on this release, which was recorded live in June at their home away from home, the French Press Jazz Café in St. Paul’s Lowertown. For a low budget project (as Artz says, “a poor man’s 4-track recording” on borrowed equipment), put together from primarily one live gig, this set has all the intimacy and energy of being there with the enhanced quality of post gig mastering.

Their previous recording, Big Fish Eat Little Fish, contained “cool bop stuff with rock energy” (Mankato Free Press); the new recording might be described as hot post bop with funk energy. All tunes are from the pens of Burand and/or Brinkman, except the last track (“Artz Nova" from Adam Wait). The new CD offers some repeats from the earlier play list—Brinkman’s “Red’s Bed” and “Hanger Man,” and Burand’s “Adult Lounge,” giving the listener the opportunity to hear how the music and band have evolved. Simply put, these are maturing musicians who have made a transition from a good house band to rising star status in four short years. And while the Chill 7 musicians state that their current direction is more toward funk grooves than modern mainstream jazz, the arrangement of tracks seems to suggest a different aesthetic framework—one moving from youthful funk and R&B toward sophisticated structures that more clearly celebrate their roots in Coltrane and Miles, but from a 21^st century perspective. Certainly, there is a very danceable vibe throughout the recording, but beyond the delightful rhythms exhuding Latin and Middle Eastern flavors is an edgier core of creative improvisation and an undercurrent of the great jazz bands of the 60s and 70s.

The first two tracks (“Funk in the Forrest” and “The Bluebelt”) indeed seem headed for Funkytown and beg for a dance floor. Swanson gives the former its hip hoppy groove while Burand’s bubbling guitar and Artz’ clicky vamp enlighten the latter. Brinkman particularly stands out on “The Bluebelt,” jumping in with a honky buzzing improvisation before joining Swanson with two-bar repetitions, ending with an even buzzier line.

One of my favorites is Burand’s “Adult Lounge,” with Brinkman laying out with a more post bop flavored melody and intricate line. More for toe tapping than dancing shoes, this rendition has a Kenny Garrett groove and, overall, makes for much stronger input from all than on the same track of their earlier recording. This time out, they have more to say and say it in a tighter timeframe (by about 30 seconds). Burand sets the guitar afire over Swanson’s running bassline, and one can imagine a B-3 stepping in (and there was a keyboard on the 2002 track). Artz gets a chance to demonstrate his command of the trapset, with more interesting rhythms than did the drummer on the earlier disc. In stating the melody, Burand and Brinkman combine much like two horns.

“Brin’s Mesa” is Brinkman’s Latin-tinged tribute to “a little place” where he proposed marriage. Following a sturdy bass and guitar montuno, Brinkman launches into the melody like the CD as a whole, somewhere between funk and bop. Rhythmic hesitations and repeating phrases from Brinkman keep the tension alive until Burand jumps in with his own story line. Brinkman returns with a buzzier melody over the bubbling vamp from the guitar, again hinting at the sound of the B-3.

Brinkman’s “Red’s Bed” starts out with a great bassline from Swanson, moves to a train-like vibe from Burand, and then Brinkman comes in swirling. “Kari’s Crystal Fish” finds Burand’s catchy melody presented by the tenor sax, the chord structure like a syncopated “My Favorite Things.” The guitar adds a gurgling yet sweet improvisation, playing the role of “diffractometer” as describe in the liner notes—a gadget to analyze the crystal fish of the title; and Burand plays that role in diffracting the theme into jewel-like facets. Brinkman comes back with his own analysis, slowing it down briefly as if to crank up his ax just to take another swing. Artz maintains a crystalline sheen throughout the track.

Brinkman’s “Breakfast with Cheese” is a short track and the most straight-ahead tune of the set. Swanson provides some marvelous basslines beneath some dexterous pickings from Burand, and the quartet manages to pack a lot into 2 ½ minutes. Brinkman’s lines slide along like silk over coarse mesh—he’s definitely one of the most interesting tenor players in town.

Brinkman’s “Hanger Man” is the edgiest and perhaps most interesting track of the set, the composer at his most introspective and experimental. With a heavy steady pulse from Artz and bubbling lava from Swanson, Brinkman displays his debt to Coltrane. Meanwhile Burand provides a global flavor, with tones from some corner of the Middle East seeping into his phrases almost as if his instrument has taken on some of the eastern qualities of ancient strings, as do the groaning sighs that come from either the bass or sliding sticks on the drum skins. Relative to the rendition on their earlier recording with an organ, the overall feel is more of subtle drama than funky groove.

The closing track, Adam Waite’s “Artz Nova” is (not surprisingly) built around Artz’ punctuations and exclamations. Unison lines from Brinkman and Burand morph into rapid-fire solo lines from the guitar over equally fleet basslines and continuous figures from Artz. Burand adds some popping stops and starts from the bottom of the box; the sax returns with some throaty segments over the nervous energy of the drumkit, Artz throwing out a solo of pepper spray and rim shots. Sax and guitar return to their unisonic melody but Artz gets the last word—it is his nova!

Gigs

Chill 7 will be chilling out at the French Press Jazz Café on Friday night, September 2, 8:30 pm-midnight. Is there a better way to start the long Labor Day weekend than an evening of funky grooves spliced around post-bop sophistication? Bring your dancing shoes if you are so inclined, the floor space at the French Press can probably handle it! And bring your keen ears and tune into the more subtle undercurrents of the workings of this band of innovators, hipsters, and… above all, talented musicians.

More about Chill 7 and the new recording can be found on the band’s website at www.chill7.com. The French Press Jazz Café is located in St. Paul’s Lowertown at 213 4th Street East, across the street from Union Depot. For complete calendar and more information, visit www.fpjazz.com or call (651) 224-2732. And later this month (September 23), outstate jazzers can catch Chill 7 for their “monthly mambo” at The Wine Café in Mankato, 9 pm-midnight, 301 N. Riverfront Dr., www.winecafebar.com<. Chill 7 plans another live recording, in Mankato, to be released in November.