Jazz, funk and soul…Mustard n’ Onions latest album is a sure-fire crowd pleaser.
Ghost-Note – Mustard n’ Onions – Mack Avenue Music Group Artistry Music ART7085 LP 1 limited edition yellow double vinyl + digital download, 79:24 ****1/2:
(complete list of performing artists below)
Jazz has reflected various musical idioms, especially soul. In the fusion era, icons like Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter were intermingling funk with jazz. Groups like Weather Report, Tower Of Power and War became crossover stars. A current proponent of funky jazz is Ghost-Note. This large ensemble includes members of Snarky Puppy and players who performed with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Marcus Miller, Erykah Badu and Snoop Dogg. The current and third release from Mack Avenue (Mustard n’ Onions) captures the exuberant vibe and layered musical tapestry that defines this group. The album is available on a limited edition yellow vinyl, CD and digital download.
Side A opens with the muscular celebration, “JB’s Out (Do It Babey)”. The furious jam is provided with hook-driven tight percussion that displays some of the vocal/instrument call and response that will evoke James Brown. “Move With A Purpose” is anchored by a cool bass line, and relentless beat. Flute (Karl Denson), electric piano (Bernard Wright) and strings create a lithe, nimble atmosphere. A touch of psychedelia kicks off “Where’s Danny”. This is jazz-centric, with punctuated, fluid trombone (Danny Wytanis) and nimble piano (Robert Put Starlight). Of course, the steady rhythmic pulse is there. With head-nodding cool, “Origins” operates in a straightforward groove with big band swagger. Tenor saxophone (Keith Anderson) contributes raw soul and a synthesizer break leads into a final sinewy gossamer movement
The dynamic energy envelops “Poundcake” with a fusion arrangement that features catchy breaks and chord changes including a smoother interlude. Picking up the pace, “Phatbacc” lands with a driving intensity, including slinky guitars and electric piano. It is non-stop funk energy. On “Grandma’s Curtains”, Eric Gales” jagged, crisp notation is a counterpoint to the fulsome horn section. The vocals are sparse and delivered in near vocalese, sometimes with only hand claps and guitar accompaniment. “Revival Island” is explosive with prominent riffs and jamming that could be part of a Prince album. Here, a pedal steel becomes a vehicle for soul jazz and a scorching guitar solo by Mark Lettieri is breathless. With self-assure breeziness, “Yellow Dan” establishes a sleek groove with Marcus Miller’s bass lines, as the synthesizer and strings build an expansive aural landscape. Spacey keyboards and strings intermingled with a hypnotic cadence and tenor saxophone (Mike Delani Brooks) create a gossamer-like variation on a shuffle in “Synesthesia”. Reprising the unfaltering vitality, “Bad Knees” is propelled by Jonathan Mones’ brisk alto saxophone. And when the listener thinks that things can’t get funkier… they do! With jazzy shading and palpitating verve, “Slim Goodie” is compelling. The title track bursts with piercing notation, exquisite horn charts and an assist from Sylvester Onyejaka on baritone. The album concludes with two shorter cuts (“Origins Reprise”/“Nard’s Right”) that feature the trademark sound of Ghost-Note.
Whether you’re a fan of soulful jazz, funk for like to get up and dance, Mustard n’ Onions will be a valuable addition to any music library. Vinyl aficionados will appreciate the gatefold packaging and mind-blowing art direction (Tyler March).
Highly recommended!
—Robbie Gerson
Ghost-Note – Mustard n’ Onions
TrackList:
Side A: JB’s Out (Do It Babey); Move With A Purpose; Where’s Danny?; Origins
Side B: PoundCake; Phatbacc; Grandma’s Curtains
Side C: Revival Island; Yellow Dan; Synesthesia
Side D: Bad Knees; Slim Goodie; Mustard n’ Onions ; Origins Reprise; Nard’s Right
Performing Artists:
Robert Sput Searight – drums, keyboards; Nate Werth – percussion; Mononeon – bass, rhythm guitar; Peter Knudsen – guitar; Dominic Xavier Taplin – keyboards; Vaughn “VKeys” Henry – keyboards; Sylvester SLY5Thave” Onyejiaka – baritone saxophone, conductor/arranger string section, tenor saxophone; Mike Jelani Brooks – tenor saxophone; Jonathan Mones – alto saxophone, flute; Danny Wytanis – trombone; Kyla Mascovich – trumpet; Bernard Wright – keyboards; Marcus Miller – bass; Travis Toy – pedal steel; Mark Letteieri – guitar; Jay Jennings – trumpet; Casey Benjamin – alto saxophone; Xavier Lynn – guitar; Mackenzie – vocals, Karl Denson – flute; Devin Way – drum programming; Keith Anderson – tenor saxophone and many others
