Search - Basement Boys :: Basement Boys Presents Mudfoot Jones (Dig)

Percussion delivers

C. W. Hall | Atlanta, GA USA | 01/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Teddy Douglas and Jay Steinhour have become famous as The Basement Boys. But since you're nobody until you have a handful of aliases to your credit, the duo have conjured up a heavy-footed, 74-year-old drummer from Louisiana named Mudfoot Jones to put them on their way to multiple-alias fame and fortune.



The fictional back-story says that Mudfoot Jones got his name because he was a little too heavy on the bass drum. Of course, as we've learned from hip-hop and all genres that have been influenced by it, there is no such thing as being too heavy on the bass drum. Basement Boys know this and whatever else they do, they hit the drums hard.



The instrumentation is prodigious throughout this album, but it's never the star simply because the percussion demands your attention. Piano and organ frequently join the rhythm section on tracks like "Everything's Gon' Be Alright" and "Pray for Me" with the effect of driving the songs' danceability factor through the roof. I dare you not to move to this record. Put it on and try standing absolutely still. You won't be able to manage it.



They dip into blues ("Hold On I'm Comin'") and latin ("Mamma's Spanish Joint"), but the album is mostly an incredibly upbeat jazz affair. Merge the music of the Harlem Rennaisance with the rhythmic overdrive of a modern dancefloor and you have the overriding sensibility of Mudfoot Jones."

Great!

P. Metivier | New York, NY | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very good jazzy vibe! This CD is full of up beat cuts. Sounds often like St-Germain with more dance beat to it."