|
Fiercely
uncompromising with equal allegiance to jazzy improvisation, funky backbeats
and sonic experimentation, the audacious power trio Slaughterhouse 3
dwells in a place where fellow renegades like Garage a Trois, Bobby
Previte & Charlie Hunter’s Groundtruther and jam band godfathers
Medeski, Martin & Wood operate -- right on that cutting edge between
Sun Ra-inspired extrapolation and James Brown-inspired groovepower.
Anchored by the formidable rhythm tandem of drummer Kirk Covington and
bassist Gary Willis (bandmates in Tribal Tech, one of the premier fusion
groups of the past 20 years), Slaughterhouse 3 also introduces to fans
of provocative, post-Bitches Brew electric music the gifted saxophonist
Llibert Fortuny, who is fast emerging as one of the brightest young
talents on Spain’s jazz scene. Armed with an arsenal of analog
pedals and various digital gear, Fortuny deftly manipulates his sound
to create loops, feedback, harmonic squeals and all manner of sonic
mayhem in the mix. And no matter how far out Fortuny may take it, as
on the experimental noise-thrash jam “Let’s Go” or
the raucous “Slaughterhouse 3” from the band’s killer
self-titled debut, Covington and Willis hold down the fort with slamming
backbeats and ultra-funky basslines.
From jagged abstractions like “Interactive Show” to ultra-funky
J.B. paeans like “Toxic” or “Booty Duty,” Slaughterhouse
3 summons up white-hot intensity on top of thick, syncopated grooves,
with tasty little ear cookies floating in and out of the mix, courtesy
of Fortuny’s electronic tweakage. On the powerful “Moof”
they deliver a kick that recalls classic Weather Report, with Fortuny
playing Wayne Shorter to Covington’s Peter Erskine and Willis’
Jaco Pastorius. Then on “Trapeze” they play it more spacious
and open-ended in the freewheeling manner of Sun Ra or his legion of
avant garde followers. Willis, an electric bassist of unparalleled facility
who has appeared on recordings by the likes of Wayne Shorter, Allan
Holdsworth and Dennis Chambers, fuels the slow, shuffling “Stinky”
with nasty Mu-Tron-inflected tones (reminiscent of his playing on Tribal
Tech’s “Space Camel” from their 2000 outing, Rocket
Science).
Once they hit the road in support of Slaughterhouse 3, this potent band
of improvisers and groovemeisters promises to be a formidable presence
on the avant jam-band scene.
Bill
Milkowski
is a regular contributor to Jazz Times, Jazziz, Bass Player, Modern
Drummer and Absolute Sound magazines. He is also the author of "JACO:
The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius" (Backbeat
Books). |
