Description
That flash of primal joy succinctly conveys the feeling of discovery permeating The Doober, the third album in the Los Angeles experimental jazz duos Music for Saxofone and Bass Guitar series. As on their first two records, the pair culled these songs from live performances, editing out the audience but keeping the crackling energy intact. Studios allow artists to shape, overdub, and edit their way into an idea, but playing live is inherently raw; feeling the vibe of a room, communicating without speaking, and leaving space for chance are more immediate paths to transcendence. The Doober is another document of these musicians innate chemistry and trust, finding magic in the journey with no real destination in mind.
Many of these songs are coversor at least they start that way. Theres nothing especially faithful about these versions; Gendel and Wilkes are more interested in spacious textural exploration. On Rugged Road, they extract the chorus melody from Judee Sills yearning psych-folk classic Theres a Rugged Road and turn it into a wriggling, cartoonish mass. As the intensity builds, Gendel and Wilkes somersault over each other, layers of sax and bass swirling into a Tasmanian Devil cloud before collapsing, grinning and exhausted. In their hands, Joni Mitchells The Circle Game becomes a modal study, shifting around itself like a deconstructed Rubiks Cube. As the minimal drum machine pattern gets more motorik, Wilkes locks his Fender P-Bass into a repetitive groove while Gendel builds a tower of looped drones. Each track on The Doober is a framed photo of outer space, presenting the infinite in a digestible container.
Theyre not innovators of form herejazz musicians have long treated entries in the canonical songbook as blueprints rather than maps. Gendel and Wilkes do it with a cheeky sense of abandon. Their choice of interpolations is sometimes absurdwho knew there was such an aching, rain-streaked jazz number at the heart of Sheryl Crows Tomorrow Never Dies, the opening theme for perhaps the worst James Bond movie? In the final minute and a half of Ben Hur, one of the albums finest moments, the duos cover of Mikls Rzsas Love Theme (From Ben Hur) melts deliciously into Chris Isaaks Wicked Game, Gendels sax pooling around a bizarre clip-clop percussion loop. Theres a palpable glee to the album, an almost mischievous acknowledgment that any piece of music can become an invitation to greater freedom. (via Pitchfork)
Label: Leaving Records
Format: Vinyl, LP
Released: 2024
Genre: Jazz
Style: Free Improvisation
File under: Modern / Future Jazz
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