Mad Scientist Music

The Jazz Orchestra of trombonist and composer Ben Patterson, based in Washington DC, recorded so much material in three days that two albums could be compiled from it. "Groove Junkies" contains the more fusion-oriented part of that, on "Mad Scientist Music" we hear the band in a kind of contemporary mainstream mode. But then, indeed, a bit crazy. To start with "Groove Junkies" (for the Telegraaf readers among us: Groove Junks): the opening number "Exclamation" has a refined character. Guitarist Shawn Purcell is on a roll with agile playing in "The Way Of The Groove", while his instrument cuts right through the ensemble sound in "Stank Face". The songs, varying in length from six to eight and a half minutes, seem shorter, which I think has to do with the large amount of musical information per second. "Mad Scientist Music" is just as densely populated. The album starts with the spicy "We're Back", which accommodates a myriad of changing moods. With sparse accompaniment, the trombones shine in "Misinformation," this composition has a pointillist character. Polyphony is the trump card in "Always" (not the well-known Irving Berlin standard and certainly not the "Always" by Charles Horwitz from 1899). In the distance we see the striking head of Igor Stravinsky. "The Mixup" sounds the most traditional, if it weren't for the fact that it is teeming with tempo changes. Also traditional: "Just Cuz," in which the sections interlock like a 5000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Think: Fletcher Henderson. And then think a bit further.