Kamikaze Ground Crew -
Members of the band:
Doug Wieselman - clarinets,saxes, guitar, balalaika,organ
Gina Leishman - saxes,bass clarinet,accordion, vocals
Steven Bernstien - trumpet, slide trumpet
Peter Apfelbaum - tenor sax, soprano sax
Art Baron - trombone
Marcus Rojas - tuba
Kenny Wollesen - drums
San Francisco Bay Guardian
January 2000
Kamikaze Ground Crew - Covers
by Derk Richardson
At the rate Kamikaze Ground Crew cranks out albums, we can expect the all-star band's next pit stop around 2006. That's OK, because there's enough musical and emotional content under these Covers to fuel high-altitude listening for years to come. Originally organized to accompany the acrobatic antics of the Flying Karamozov Brothers, KGC recroded its first LP in 1985. Before Covers the rambunctious septet had produces only two other cds, 1990's The Scenic Route and 1993's Madam Marie's Temple of Knowledge. In the meantime, the personnel has shifted about original members Gina Leishman (accordion, saxes, bass clarinet, Hammond organ, vocals) , Doug Wieselman (clarinets, saxes, electric guitar, balalaika, Hammond Organ), and Steven Bernstein (trumpet, slide trumpet). Since the last outing, tenor and soprano saxophonist Peter Apfelbaum has returned (replacing Ralph Carney), and trombonist Art Baron, Tuba player Marcus Rojas, and drummer Kenny Wollesen have come on board.
Whereas previous KGC recordings featured mostly original Leishman and Wieselman compositions, Covers showcases the brilliant way they and Bernstien arrange other people's material. Opening with a dreamy version of a pop tune from Bhutan, Covers turns pieces by Stockhausen, Hendrix ('Electric Ladyland"), Satie, Huey "Piano" Smith ( "Blow Wind Blow" and "Rockin' Pneumonia" ), Eisler and Brecht, and Los Lobos' David Hidalgo into vehicles for extended collective gliding and individual soaring, consistent with the idiosyncratic interpretive styles of other bands that have feartured the players, such as the Lounge Lizards, Spanish Fly, Sex Mob, Heiroglyphics Ensemble and the Carla Bley big band. A hybrid of jazz , modern classical, rock, avant-cabaret, and New Orleans R&B, KGC's music yields pleasure on its own terms, much like that of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Mothers of Invention, or Willem Breuker Kollektief, its bent but beautiful structures providing cover from the mainstream culture's hail of mediocrity.
Cleavescene
January 2000
Kamikaze Ground Crew - Covers
by Harvey Pekar
Kamikaze Grround Crew consists of seven members who draw ideas from a vast range of sources. This CD's title refers to the fact that the album consists of covers of all sorts of music, including a pop tune from Bhutan and pieces by Satie, Stockhausen, Jimi Hendrix, Huey "Piano" Smith, Hanns Eisler/Bertolt Brecht, and David Hidalgo. The charts were written by multi-instrumentalists Gina Leishman (accodion, reeds), Doug Wieselman (guitar, balalaika, reeds) , and , on "Huey Smith Medley", trumpeter Steven Bernstein. There's a lot of intelligent, delicately balanced writing here, but some of the songs have humorous qualities as well ( see "Redite", from Satie's "Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear" ). Leishman's lovely arrangement of Stockhausen's "Capricorn" and "Leo" make the work of this avant-garde composer accessible without compromising it with a mass audience. "Easter Sunday 1935", with music by Eisler and lyrics by Brecht, then in exile, forecasts World War II. On "Electric Ladyland" and "Epilogue", both of which have a gospel influence, and the Huey Smith New Orleans R&B medley, the band cuts loose, illustrating that it can play with a wallop as well as sensitivity. Though there's some improvising here, the emphasis is on ensembel playing, and it's excellent -- particulary the clean, warm work of Marcus Rojas, possibly the world's best all-around tuba player, and trombonist Art Baron, who produces a wide variety of timbres, playing both open and muted.
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