AprilCadence2013

2) BARRY
ROMBERG’S
RANDOM ACCESS,
CRAB PEOPLE,
ROMHOG 123.
CD 1: MECCA PECCA ROCKS
/ NINETEEN SIXTY SEVEN
(PARTS 1-2) / 20% OFF /
PLAY ELECTRIC, THINK
ACOUSTIC / CRAB PEOPLE
(PARTS 1 - 3). CD 2: END
OF AN ERA (PARTS 1-3) /
6 TO THE 5 TO THE 7 TO
THE 9 / FURTHEST REALM /
RETROACTIVE (SCHVINGY
TABLA) / LATINY ON Q
(PARTS 1-2) / NO TURNING
BACK. TT=113:25.
Barry Romberg, d; Geoff
Young, Ben Monder, g;
Rick Brown, el b; Ravi
Nampally, tabla, frame
drum; Kelly Jefferson, ts, ss;
Kirk MacDonald, ts; Kevin
Turcotte, tpt; Kieran Overs,
Julian Anderson-Bowes, ac b;
Robi Botos, kbds. 2/12, 4/12.
New Issues
133 | CadenCe Magazine | april May June 2013
2 ) is nearly two hours of shapeshifting jazz-rock performed
by various small groups out of the above
listed personnel all led by drummer Barry Romberg.
There are all sorts of jazz and rock influences present
here. “Mecca Pecca Rocks” is an intriguing blend of
muscular drumming, droning guitar by Geoff Young
and hair-raising tenor sax. “Ninety Sixty Seven”, dedicated
to both John Coltrane and Led Zeppelin, starts
with a Coltraneish sweep of sound and turns into a
lurching mass of heavy bass and drums and groaning,
sprawling guitar noise that sounds like Pete Cosey
with Miles Davis. “20% Off” is bubbly two-guitar, bass
and drum jamming and “Play Electric” is guitar trio
work dedicated to Paul Motian with an appropriately
ambient, indirect feel. “Crab People” adds horns to the
mix and works itself into a fuzzed-up hurricane with
Romberg providing a funky strut like Jack DeJohnette.
The second CD starts with “End Of An Era” which begins
with melancholy electric piano and bluesy tenor sax
from Kirk McDonald before switching to a faster and
fierier groove and then relapsing into more downbeat
electric piano with fuzzy electric bass accompaniment.
“6 to the 5” and “Retroactive” are lively jams with
tenor and tabla added to the guitar trio format and
“Furthest Realm” is a slow, dreamy ballad by the trio of
Romberg, Monder and Overs. The extended “Latiny In
Q” mixes Latin vamps, tabla and Young speeding like
John McLaughlin while “No Turning Back” brings things
to a close with a mix of creeping tenor and choppy
funk. Romberg touches on almost every good strain
of jazz-rock with this epic display of fun grooves and
brawny playing. He and his Random Access guys prove
themselves the equals of any of the bigger names in the
genre here.
Jerome Wilson