New album: Phosphorescent Harvest
Artist: Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Label: Silver Arrow Records
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Black Crowes’ frontman Chris Robinson started the Chris Robinson Brotherhood as more or less a hobby band back in 2010. Three studio albums later it’s turned into his main gig.
Some may view the CRB as an extension of the Black Crowes, but they’d be wrong. The Crowes thick, bluesy Small Faces chug and roll is nowhere to be found on “Phosphorescent Harvest.” Rather, this new collection sees the CRB continuing along the hippiefied paths blazed by the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd.
Although the songwriting here isn’t quite as strong as it was on the first two CRB albums, the band’s interplay and lust for sonic experimentation elevates several good songs to greatness. Aside from Robinson’s always impressive pipes, the star of “Phosphorescent Harvest” is CRB keyboardist Adam MacDougall.
MacDougall’s penchant for vintage analog keyboard sounds gives the CRB its musical identity, whether through flourishes of trippy space sounds or subtle chord work that knits everything together. One of the strongest songs on the album is “Badlands Here We Come,” which is what the Doctor Who theme might sound like if the show were set in Dodge City. In the hands of lesser musicians, the cheesy keyboards sounds of “Badlands” would elicit raised eyebrows, but MacDougall has apparently heard enough Neu! and Kraftwerk records to know where the line between silly and cool truly lies.
The closest the CRB get to Black Crowes territory here is “Jump The Turnstiles,” which is based around a fairly standard blues riff. Thankfully, MacDougall sweeps in with a mid-1970s Richard Wright keyboard flourish from Mars that saves the song from mediocrity. The gem of the album - “Slow Burn” - matches the song craft and band interplay of the “Light and Vibration Suite” from the second CRB album “The Magic Door.”
Although “Phosphorescent Harvest” isn’t the band’s strongest album, it’s still a very good one. Fans of their first two albums should definitely give the album a listen. Newcomers to the band should hear their albums in chronological order to appreciate their progression.
Classic album: Money Jungle
Artist: Duke Ellington w/Max Roach and Charles Mingus
Label: Blue Note
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
When “Money Jungle” was released in 1962, Duke Ellington’s stature as a musical giant was already established. His decision to collaborate with comparative newcomers Max Roach and Charles Mingus proved his adventurous spirit was still alive at a time when he could have made a good living trotting out his greatest hits.
Ellington’s music was usually presented by his 18-piece orchestra, so hearing his work in a trio setting with two of the greatest players in their field made is a heady idea. None of these artists needed to work on this project, but judging by the glorious results it was something they were deeply committed to.
Opening track “Very Special” straddles the organized virtuosity Ellington was known for and the organized chaos bassist Mingus cultivated in his own work. Roach’s pummeling drumming drives a powerhouse rendition of “Caravan”, but his playing subtle playing on “Fleurette Africaine” is almost ghost-like. The telepathy displayed among the players on the entire album is nothing short of extraordinary.
Fans of Mingus will delight in his elastic playing on “Wig Wise” and “Switchblade,” although he locks in with Roach when needed on the title track and “Rem Blues.” Even with two of the greatest jazz musicians of all time in the room, Ellington’s piano work is on a par with the innovative playing of his younger cohorts. If anything, this stripped down format gave Ellington room to stretch out as a musician that he normally wouldn’t have had with his massive touring band.
“Money Jungle” is a bonafide American music classic. Anyone who has always liked the idea of jazz but never taken the plunge should dive headfirst into this one.
Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at jon.dawson@kinston.com or on Twitter @jondawsonhq. Purchase Jon’s book “Counterfeit Sauerkraut & The Weekend Teeth” at www.jondawson.com and www.amazon.com.