The recording offers several first rate songs, and the various styles reflect the group’s wide range. “Rhound Things III” starts off with subdued solo guitar work by the excellent Khabu Doug Young, and then bursts into a buoyant melody reminiscent of Weather Report. On “The princess” the group reveals their straight ahead chops. The front line—Michael McGinnis on clarinet and saxes, Brian Drye on trombone, and Matt Glassmeyer on the unusual amplified contra-alto clarinet—repeat the melody line, with Young deftly weaving his guitar around them. Then McGinnis takes a long, joyful solo, followed by drummer Mark Dodge, who plays with power and incision. The song wraps up with the melody, and altogether it’s a lovely piece. “Thanks, James” is a wild blowfest where McGinnis cuts loose and goes completely out, showing that the musicians are just as comfortable in the realm of free. 

And then there’s the very interesting “Good Guys, Bad Guys,” a ten-minute song that wraps up the CD. The song begins with the musicians slowly building into an urgent, chaotic energy. Then they fade back from what they’ve created, and the song dissolves into silence. The music eventually returns, along with a remix of background voices.  The song’s construction is highly evolved and very original, and the mix of voices at the end is in the spirit of Beatle songs such as “I Am the Walrus.” In fact the entire CD is a tribute to the way a creative mix—in this case, by Zeke Zima—can take already excellent music to a higher ground. 

Watch them if you want to see where jazz—and indeed, music—is heading.
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