Joint Happening

Mushroom | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hyena
• ASIN: B000QEILRO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,387 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars +1/2 -- Complex improv of jazz, psych, prog and funk, August 12, 2007

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joint Happening (Audio CD)

It's difficult to pin down the identity of this San Francisco trio beyond their core ethics of experimentation and improvisation. Their recorded legacy takes in jazz, prog-rock, psych, rhythmic krautrock, funk, soul and acid, but never in the straightforward ways the labels might imply. On their latest, paired with avant garde trumpeter Eddie Gale, the jazz and psych flavors are strongest and the group's improvisational skills are in full bloom with dreamy creations that meander at length, but never get lost.

With pieces that range from seven to eighteen minutes, there's plenty of room for interplay between the musicians. But unlike traditional jazz structures in which the band states the theme, a round of solos ensues and the original thread is recovered, the jamming hear is holistic. The players impact each other in real time, rather than in rounds or call-and-response, building a tapestry of improvisation, rather than just a lead with backing players. The tracks flow with ease, often segueing across index marks.

The band mines a groove on "I Was Torn Down at the Dance Place, Shaved Head at the Organ," with melodic improvisation giving way to a rhythmic catharsis of piano, drums, bells and assorted shakers before settling back into the pocket. The mix of jazz and funk is reminiscent of Herbie Hancock's fusion work, but with an extra degree of improvisational freedom. Eddie Gale is superb throughout the album, drawing from his work with Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor, as well as his own sporadic solo releases. It's inspiring to hear artists come together in musical conversation and find a common language that flows as freely as this. Fans of free jazz, funk and psych will all find this intriguing. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent, May 16, 2010

By 

Bill Your 'Free Form FM Handi Cyber Print DJ ... (Mahwah, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Joint Happening (Audio CD)

Eddie Gale is a jazz trumpet player. Back in the late 1960s, he did two fantastic, painfully unknown albums for Blue Note, Black Rhythm Happening and Eddie Gale's Ghetto Music. He also worked in 1966 with Cecil Taylor on Unit Structures.

In our era, Gale did one ok techno jazz album Afro Fire, and this far superior outing, Joint Happening.

Joint Happening is a long, monotone affair with a band called Mushroom. In a sense, this reminds me of a modern sounding Soft Machine. The band backs Gale for about seventy minutes.

The Happening is never icy or boring: Gale and mushroom stick in one key--the tracks are separated but if you were not looking at your CD players readout you would think it was one huge piece.Gale is not a minimalist, but he does like small clusters like Miles, not long flashy runs or octave jumps.

All the musicians slowly but surely shift dynamics and rhythms and take maximum advantage of the shifts, and this keeps Joint Happening fresh and an engaging listen throughout.