This fascinating acoustic improvisational and grooving jazz group, which according to its press materials only plays where dancing is possible, is the brainchild of Barklie "Clay" Henry, a bass percussionist whose history includes the drum/flute group Pulsation and the world music outfit Barefoot with violinist Steve Kindler. The collective has been a vision of his for years, a gathering of some of the finest musicians he knows from different backgrounds in his creative Big Sur environment -- where he captured sparks of melodic bass, percussion, and flute-driven music with touches of rich worldbeat exotica. The core group features top sidemen and session players Kim Stone (bassist for
the Rippingtons),
Aaron Stone (drums, marimba, percussion, piano), Joseph Lucido (guitar, guitar synth), Alan Steinberger (piano), and Ronnie Ray Padilla, whose hypnotic flute melodies drive the first two infectious tracks, "Sugar Cane Train" and "Cruisin' South." While it's a true ensemble date through and through, a basic listen yields the feeling that each track spotlights a single musician or two -- on the vibrant, steadily rhythmic "Café Society" it's Steinberger's piano, and on "Caribbean Breeze" it's Kim Stone's mysterious 12-string bajo sexto (with the playfully swirling cello of Nura Stone backing him). Because Henry himself is a percussionist, specializing on some tracks on the tumba, there's a deep rhythmic element throughout that drives intense jungly tracks like "Moonrise" and "Clay Pot." The vibe varies from this idea as well, running from blues on "Dr. Blue" (highlighted by Padilla's crisp electric guitar melody) to the balmy Brazilian vibe (with gentle whispery female vocals) on the dreamily sensual "Samba Rio." As the group name might imply,
Dark Chocolate's music is a little hard to peg -- it's jazzy worldbeat, or worldbeat jazz with touches of avant-garde, rock, and blues. The good news is that it's always fascinating and unpredictable. ~ Jonathan Widran