21st century jazz? The Mitch Marcus Quintet seem to think they know that it's all about the now, and jazz is very much in the now on their album The Special (Jazzcubed).

What's so special about these guys is their knack to push the envelope by going through journeys on each of the seven songs on their album. Mix up a bit of Medeski, Martin & Wood and Skerik with a Vernon Reid-type intensity and and you have one hell of a ride. The album opens up with "Paisano", which begins with a saxophone passage sounding as if it would fit perfectly on an Ornette Coleman or Phil Woods album, and then the guitar comes out of nowhere, courtesy of Michael Abraham. Even the effect on the guitar sounds out of place, as if it was an audio martian discovering new life. Once it comes in contact with the humans, you hear it react and now the organism of the band is reacting to it like ants in a rice pot. At times it sounds like a grand Charles Mingus composition without the leader yelling at his band. Mitch Marcus and his saxophone eventually make their way into the room as he talks a bit with bassist George Ban-Weiss and drummer Ches Smith. The energy doesn't stop, even half way into the song. "Last Mourning" starts off with repeating sax phrases before you hear distorted heavy guitar riffs (from the mindset of Terry Kath, and then it gets into... a wicked funk! If things may feel too comfortable, there's "Dave's Castle", which glides along in a 10/4 rhythm as if everyone in the world did it that way.

The Special is combining various eras of jazz to create something that just stands out from the rest. It does incorporate other styles, but it's as if one generation of jazz walked in the room to meet another, and realized there's nothing you can do but jam and play. The album is beautifully produced by Stephen Barncard (see David Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name... for references), you can truly hear the music, the musicians, and the room they are in. The liner notes state that the album was recorded with the idea of a possible surround sound mix. I fully support a DVD-A with not only a 5.1 mix, but a nice hi-res stereo mix too, so let's hope that will be in the works. Until then, this will be on my "Best Of" list at year's end.
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This is one of the best jazz albums to come out in the last several years.  The musicians and compositions are superb.  The ensemble really takes jazz to the next level!  It's a fresh new sound.
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This is a great album! keep your eyes out for these guys...they are fantastic both live and on record.
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