Brad Goode has long experimented with using polychordal harmonies, as many jazz musicians have well before him, but prior to this recording session, the trumpeter's adventurous charts tended to overwhelm many of the players who worked with him. But this date freed
Goode from the series of post-bop/hard bop/bop recordings that he had made in the past. Accompanied by guitarist Bill Kooper (who switches to sitar on some tracks), pianist/keyboardist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Ken Walker, and drummer Anthony Lee,
Goode puts his musicians to the test with his wild charts, which at times combine two four-note chords that seem to conflict with the harmony underneath. The oft-kilter "Encryption" sounds like something from the era of '70s fusion, though the harmonies against the funky backbeat are far more modern.
Goode adds a mute for his fairly straight-ahead, lyrical treatment of the old soul-pop song "Betcha by Golly Wow," though Jenkins' keyboards get pretty far out behind the leader. Everyone seems to be playing a different arrangement in the dissonant, rather wild setting of "Autumn Nocturne," while the old
Burt Bacharach pop hit "Going out of My Head" is far more accessible.
Goode even revisits "Shock of the New" (which was the title track of his 1988 CD debut as a leader), but the rockish guitar and electric keyboards dramatically alter its conception.
Johnny Mercer's "Dream" is dramatically altered as well, with offbeat rhythm and the eerie addition of the sitar. While this CD may not get people dancing, it definitely won't put any jazz fans to sleep! ~ Ken Dryden