Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey's 2014 effort,
Worker, is the first studio album the group have recorded since paring down to a trio in 2013. The album also follows up the group's vinyl-only Record Store Day release Millions: Live in Denver at DazzleJazz, and features the same lineup with longtime leader/pianist
Brian Haas, guitarist/electronic programmer Chris Combs, and drummer Josh Raymer. On the group's previous studio album, 2011's
Race Riot Suite,
Haas and
JFJO took a more eclectic, large ensemble approach, bringing on
Sexmob trumpeter
Steven Bernstein and others for an organic, free-jazz influenced vibe. On
Worker, with the stripped-down trio,
Haas takes the exact opposite approach, delving into a batch of tightly composed if no less groove- and jam-oriented songs. These are quirky, frenetic recordings that utilize a bevy of keyboard, organ, and guitar sounds as well as spacy electronics. Though clearly jazz-influenced,
Haas and the
JFJO have never been particularly interested in playing solo-oriented jazz, and
Worker is no exception. Cuts like "Betamax," and "Hey Hey NSA" have an '80s-influenced, robot circus quality that's one-part
Herbie Hancock's "Rock-It" and one-part sci-fi movie soundtrack. In that sense,
Worker brings to mind the similarly inclined approach of bands like
Kneebody,
the Bad Plus, and
Robert Glasper, as wells as the '90s post-rock of band's like
Tortoise and Isotope 217. There's also a strong experimental quality to many of the tracks on
Worker and cuts like "Council Oak" and "Mesa," with their mix of atmospheric sampled sounds, sound less like jazz or rock and more like ambient classical music. Ultimately, with
Worker,
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey continue to make it their business to craft intellectual, highly creative music that’s never a grind to listen to. [
Worker was also released on LP.] ~ Matt Collar