The trippy name is deceiving. This is an earthy outfit with a purity in its approach that allows it to explore many paths without being hemmed in by notions of "tradition" or coming off as dabblers in a smorgasbord of styles. "Straight" or "free," the quintet is at ease with ideas from across the jazz spectrum. Leader Eric Schultz, who wrote the nine pieces on the CD, is an expatriate resident of southern California living in Paris, where this session was recorded in 1996. He has a dry, lightly amplified tone on guitar. Key influences seem to be
Django Reinhardt, early
John McLaughlin, and
Gabor Szabo. The mention of
Szabo has further relevance, as the early-'60s
Chico Hamilton band that included
Szabo, saxophonist
Charles Lloyd, and trombonist George Bohanon is a useful point of reference for appreciating this ensemble. With Schultz in the front line is master trombonist Daniel Casimir. Mentored by fellow German trombonist
Albert Mangelsdorf, Casimir revels in the slippery, rasberrying, microtonal impertinences inherent in a trombone. French saxophonist Jean Michel Couchet is responsible for the most outright bebop playing on the CD, including some high-octane, up-tempo work with drummer
Alan Jones and bassist Paul Imm. An exceptional rhythm team, Imm and
Jones are clearly attuned to one another, adapting their pulse and shifting accents seamlessly to embrace the individual solo styles of Schultz, Casimir, and Couchet. This music has a timeless appeal, alluding to recognizable landmarks along the way, all the while remaining true to a quintessential jazz tradition -- the dance, unfettered, with space and time. ~ Jim Todd