|
Review:
Anomalous Quintet's Life on an Oblate Spheroid
Sheldon T. Nunn, Jazzreview.com
Musicians
are definitely a breed apart, especially...
Musicians are definitely a breed apart, especially those
individuals who pursue jazz as a profession and a way of life. Their world
is a constant battle to stay afloat in an ocean that is usually filled with
obscurity. In most instances, many will struggle just to get noticed, while
others languish in a genre that is seldom appreciated. But those jazz
standard bearers who succeed and become widely known get there through
voracious tenacity, sheer talent, luck and word of mouth. Those ingredients
collectively have spawned the careers of numerous artists and musicians
through 100 years of artistic impression, while others have fallen by the
way side. But every now and again, there comes an exceptional set of
circumstances that defy the norm of how jazz artists are discovered,
especially when they seemingly glide their way into familiarity. The
Anomalous Quintet just happens to be one of those groups who fit the
category of having successfully maneuvered their way through the obstacles.
Having already recorded one CD, this group of high octane professionals
continues to evolve down a path of notoriety.
Life On An
Oblate Spheroid is the Anomalous Quintet's latest release and their second
recording overall. Although the group has a sound that is difficult to
classify, they use a variety of influences to push the envelope of jazz to
the hilt. With ideas etched in jazz, rock, fusion, blues and funk, their
style of music more closely resembles a straight-ahead approach. Having
said that, logic does not clearly define who these dazzling group of guys
are. Over ten entertaining tracks, the elements of funk and circumstance,
harmonic discourse, Latin-induced grooves and soulful melodies come
together under an immense umbrella of syncopated rhythms. Although the
group avoids the usual approach that most jazz artists undertake to be
discovered, which is described as the so-called smooth/contemporary
approach, Anomalous' music makes a statement worth hearing. In retrospect,
that could be why they are so popular regionally and have such a cult
following. They have made quite a name for themselves in and around Portland Oregon.
Led by
guitarist Jason Newsom, who formed the band in 1997, the Anomalous Quintet
takes listeners into the underexplored aspects of jazz. Throughout Life On
An Oblate Spheroid, there are abstract angles that have been filled with
colorful infusions of a variety of descriptive tones. In the overall scheme
of syncopated rhythmic responses to a classic American art form, these five
musicians shoot a variety of chords with pinpoint accuracy. Their
collective appeal revolves around the fact that their music is fresh and
innovative. No matter what the direction, the improvised use of original
compositions, coupled with a set of stylized covers are beyond the scope of
predictability. In the realm of creativity, the unprecedented approach to
fusing varying styles of jazz with any number of other musical influences
takes on an identity of its own.
With a
stellar cast of musicians, the echoes of Thelonious Monk, Rufus, Sly and
the Family Stone and Wayne Shorter are prominently dispersed throughout
Life On An Oblate Spheroid. With the addition of abstract super imposed
responses to everything musically equipped to be jazz, the unexplored realm
of creativity has been graphically displayed. The visual jazzscape painted by the Anomalous Quintet has an air
of sensibility attached, in spite of the group's unpredictable approach to
jazz. All-in-all, this is a CD that is definitely worth a listen.
|