Customer Reviews

Nublu Orchestra Conducted By Butch Morris (Dig)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
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The problem with a lot of people who are trying to make music in the intersections of jazz and various electronic/world/club/dub milieux is that they don't have a handle on the jazz piece. What happens, then, is that the music sounds flaccid, ephemeral.

Not here.

Ilhan Ersahin, madman behind this and related projects, has his jazz creds all in a row, dating back to two ten-year-old (generally) straight-ahead discs on the Golden Horn label, Our Song and Home, and is thus able to bivouac into alien territories with confidence and aplomb. The camps he sets up are, without fail, fascinating.

Of course, it helps immensely to have that iconoclastic jazz futurist, Butch Morris, in charge of the proceedings. Deploying his magical conductions (=conducting + improvisation) in such a wildly eclectic setting unleashes his and the players' genius in heretofore unencountered ways.

Unleashing the collective creative energy of Farro in the Dark, The Brazilian Girls, Wax Poetic, and Our Theory, The Nublu Orchestra casually trumps other forays into this emerging aesthetic.

If you want to encounter the hippest, most happening Nu Jazz vibe, look no farther than the Nublu Orchestra.

Highest recommendation.

Overall I liked this album. There is an interesting mix of jazz and electronic music here. Most the tracks are creative and have a mix of vocals, saxes, and electronic sounds. Conceptually I think the album is solid, but I think it was rushed a little bit and some of the songs are not fully developed. The result is some of the songs seem repetitive. Also, while there were many songs I liked I didn't find any gems here. It was a good idea, with good execution, but didn't have anything extra special to elevate it to the status of a masterpiece. Regardless, it is quite unique and a worthy acquisition for anyone interested in both jazz and electronica.