“'Droppin the straight jazz/funk in Minneapolis.” – Pulse Rare Medium at the Caboose Somehow I doubt anyone will ever accuse me of being a hipster. Still, even I can feel a soulful dance groove when it comes along ensconced in the high-wire energy of Rare Medium, a funk ‘n groove sextet based in the Twin Cities. RM brings their infectious beats to their new release, Reconditioned, and the urge to stand up and dance to this music can be irresistible. Citing influences as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Medeski Martin & Wood, Miles Davis and The Meters, Rare Medium has been gaining strength like a tropical storm since their first release, That Means You, in 2003. The band has shared the stage with such national acts as The Average White Band, Bernie Worrell and The Slip, while their recent list of popular gigs has included Caboose, Trygs, Fine Line and the Nomad World Pub (including a back to back night opposite the Jack Brass Band). The band features a cast of musicians whose credits and backgrounds are as diverse as their music:
Travis Freudenberg (electric bass), a U of M –Morris graduate performed with the UMM Jazz Ensemble I, No Smoking, Black and Blue Jazz Quartet and Booty Police. Following graduation in 2001, Travis joined the music faculty of UMM and also teaches bass at Apple Valley High School and My Music Store in Golden Valley. In addition to Rare Medium, Travis performs with the Prawns, various jazz projects, and corporate events. Joan Hutton (alto, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet & flute) is a native of Canada who has studied music since early childhood. Earning degrees at Ithaca College and Eastman School of Music before moving to Minneapolis, she teaches private woodwind students and plays in the Roxy Hall Band as well as with Dave Milne in the Ancia Saxophone Quartet. Andre Rodriguez handles the keys for Rare Medium as well as for area gospel groups and the rock/pop band, The Auburns, which he leads with brother Dan. Jaime Zuber, a busy steel pedal guitarist, plays with Captain Yonder in a band labeled as “country/folk/psychedelic.” Aaron McCabe (trumpet) and Ryan Johnson (drums) have been keeping busy around the Twin Cities including appearances with the J. Tyler O’Neill Trio. Reconditioned The music on Reconditioned—all original compositions by the band-- provides ample material to define what is often termed “funk jazz” and “groove music”—energetic two-beat rhythms marked by heavy, usually syncopated back beats; electronic “fusion” instrumentation including electric bass and keyboards; intermingling of global influences that sprout from African, Caribbean, Latin, even some European forms and rhythms; and a significant reliance on waves of vamp passages, repeating phrases that can carry from first verse to final chorus.
Where this recording seems strongest, and most engaging from a listening rather than dancing perspective, is when it is at its most gentle, when Andre Rodriguez takes the Fender Rhodes to elegant detours, such as “Say What” and the majestic “WC.” “Say What” starts out with a soft introduction from Rodriguez over just percussion, growing into a heavily syncopated ballad as horns and guitar join in, building with the interaction between trumpet and sax. The track takes on a funkier quality with its repetitive phrases and minor variations, finally returning to its more lyrical beginning as Rodriguez creates an ethereal closing. “WC”‘s auspicious beginning of Fender Rhodes tones and syncopated brushwork evolves into a slow dance, the later entrance of the horns providing a solemn, hymnal air that dissolves into a quiet funk ballad at the hands of Joan Hutton. “Sidekick/With” is another standout track, starting out like an Iron Chef Funk Party, full of secret ingredients and with each musician seeking unique ways to keep it simmering and fun. Hutton’s twisty melodic tenor sax is very enagaging, and it all fades out with a sweet organ riff followed by a repeating horn pattern. Cool horn collaboration opens “Squeaky” with a repeating groove, and the embellishments that follow are revealed in sounds rather than specific alterations in rhythm or harmony. Hutton’s sax solo yields a series of minor modifications throughout the range of her horn, while Aaron McCabe’s trumpet moves farther afield from this safe base, his most sophisticated and engaging work of the set. Rodriguez sprinkles it all with some celestial seasonings from the Rhodes. Grooves meant for dancing permeate this recording. The opening “Lesky” offers bouncing beats and mildly dissonant harmonies, McCabe’s smoky, slinky trumpet lines, and Jaim Zuber’s dark- toned guitar solo cloaked in a bit of whine with popping lines. Here Rare Medium creates music for the dancing feet of the most klutzy! “Norma’s Church Key” has a wah-wah beginning, the horns sounding a melody above the very bubbly and playfully sinister backdrop of organ, bass and percussion. A drum break sets up a steady sonic tapestry woven by organ and guitar, perhaps an excess of repeating lines over a persistently strong pulse from drummer Ryan Johnson. “Groovin’ in the Basement” and its close sibling, “Groovin’ in the Kitchen,” define “groove music” for Rare Medium. On the former, the definitely funky Hutton’s sax is aided and abetted by Rodriguez’ bubbly organ—the keys lend an other-worldy feel that still falls within the band’s funk and groove persona. The later “Groovin’” track finds guitar and bass introducing a variation of the horn harmonies of the earlier track, McCabe’s trumpet blending a big band sensibility with funk–and-groove swagger that is extended by Zuber’s guitar. A vamp beginning and the heavy backbeat continue on “Buster Brunei,” featuring catchy sustained chords from organ that resolve into a series of swooping phrases. A later motif evokes a train coasting along the track, issuing a few warning blasts, with the main energy coming from guitar. Definitely this demands a dance floor. “Saluki’s Saunter” features riffs from the Rhodes over drums and bass, branching into multiple levels led by guitar and trumpet. On “Weave Poles, Travis Freudenberg lays down heavy basslines that support horns and guitar. "Marmalade” enjoys sustains from Fender Rhodes and another revolving vamp of guitar chords over the rhythm section pulse, reaching its destination within two minutes. Even shorter, the final track “With (Out)” finds Rodriguez generating an uptempo groove on organ that fades out after little over a minute. No time to put on the dancing shoes—so best not to take them off! Rare Medium’s success lies in their cross-generational and cross genre appeal, engaging audiences from rock venues to small jazz clubs—preferably a setting where you can get up and move! *** |
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Thursday, 20 November 2008
