Search - Shim :: Particle Zoo

Amazing melting pot of new jazz for the new millineum !

06/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Man, who are these SHIM guys? This CD, "Particle Zoo" is undeniable proof that you've never heard of some of the best bands/music around. This is one of the most outstanding new jazz albums I've heard in a VERY long time. A friend from Florida turned me on to "Particle Zoo" (according to the liner notes, the band is from St. Pete, FL {? })and my jaw dropped continuously while I listened to it. This sextet, (Keith Hedger - trumpet, David Manson - trombone, David Irwin - clarinet/bass clarinet, David Pate - tenor/soprano sax, Matt Fagen or Doug Matthews - electric/acoustic bass and Jim Stewart - drums/percussion)play their butts off! You may not know who these nutty cats are, but the liner notes reference some well known musicians that some of these guys have played with: Sam Rivers, Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Boston band Debris. The music, all composed by Hedger or Manson (with one group improv) careens from flinty, complex, odd-metered themes to full-out scorching, blowing solos to unpredictably textural sound sculptures and back again to slabs of grooving New World-Jazz. You can hear elements of Mingus, Zorn, Berne, NRG Ensemble, improv, and 20th century Modern Music all stirred together in a heady mixture that is performed with reckless abandon, yet the band is unbelievably tight and above all, this stuff SWINGS! The horn players are individually distinctive players(check out the way-wacky clarinetist!)while their ensemble playing is full of unique and very hip voicings. The rhythm section can swing, float, rock out with caterwauling energy and turn on a dime all in the space of one tune. This is truely a unique blend of fascinating compositonal talent (I actually found myself humming some of the quirky melodies)along with individual musicians that really crank! And you know what?...the dudes in SHIM sound like they are having the time of their lives! So, if you want to check out some of the wildest, most unique, interesting, complex (yet strangely accessible)new jazz to come down the pike in many a day, by all means - CHECK OUT SHIM and "Particle Zoo!"