Outbreak

Dennis Chambers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Esc Records
• ASIN: B00008J2FP
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,242 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Roll Call

2. Otay

3. Groovus Interruptus

4. Paris on Mine

5. In Time

6. Plan B

7. Outbreak

8. Baltimore, D.C.

9. Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothin'

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If there's any doubt that '70s-style jazz-fusion is back, Chambers squashes it here on this brilliantly recorded, flawlessly executed session. Thirty years ago, there were various names for this kind of jazz-rock and funk. The Brecker Brothers called it "skunk funk." George Duke said it was "snake funk in a dunk," and Stanley Clarke once tagged a tune "Lopsy Lu." Whatever it’s called, it's the highest level of jazz proficiency blended with the energy of rock and a sophisticated form of R&B or funk. It's no wonder that the only cover tunes on this smoking nine-song set were written by James Brown ("Talkin' Loud and Saying Nothing") and Sly Stone ("In Time"). Chambers, who played with George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic as a teenager and currently plays for Santana, is that rare power drummer who has finesse, but never let's you forget he's on the kit. And with the Breckers, John Scofield, and monster bassists Will Lee and Gary Willis among the high-energy fusion guests, no lover of that music can go wrong here. Every track is a highlight, but both "Groovus Interruptus," because the title is so perfect, and "Paris on Mine," which sounds like a tribute to guitar giant John McLaughlin, can be labeled as special. --Mark Ruffin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Somebody had to do it . . ., March 14, 2003

By 

Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outbreak (Audio CD)

. . . and it might as well've been Dennis Chambers.

Do what? Record the first great New Millenium jazz/fusion disc. Seeeeyaaaa MMW, Uberjam, Voodoo Dogs, even Metalwood (who hold a special place in my heart).

This set takes no prisoners. Dennis Chambers, ur-funkmeister, lets everything loose on Outbreak, and the results are nothing short of spectacular.

It all starts with Chambers' monster chops. With the deepest, funkiest, grooviest, back-beatin'est approach to his kit in the history of funk-jazz, Chambers lays down the gauntlet. Ably picked up by a roster that reads like a whose who of funk-meisters, including the Brecker Bros., Will Lee, Gary Willis, Bob Malach, Matthew Garrison, Danny Sadownick, Sco, Jim Beard, and lots of others, this disc literally comes roaring out of the gate with "Roll Call." "Otay," with its impossibly cookin'-bubbly vibe established thanks to Gary Willis e-bass, its trademark Sco scorchin' wah-wah craziness, its Jim Beard synth-funk, and Chambers' over-the-top fatback drummin' admirably keeps things jumping.

With "Groovus Interruptus" we're in uncharted territory. From it's opening snare snaps to its mean tenor stylings courtesy of Michael Brecker, sounding as convincing as he's ever sounded, to its weird plink-plunk keyboard stylings eminating from Jim Beard's clavinet, this track cooks with some kind of supercharged neo-funk never before heard, but entirely natural- sounding.

And it just doesn't let up. One would think there'd be a respite, a resting on one's laurels. Doesn't happen. Instead, if anything, the heat just gets cranked up another notch with "Paris on Mine," courtesy of some truly scorching guitar work from Jon Herrington. "In Time," the next cut, establishes some kind of super-hip world-jazz groove with its way-funky conga opening, its ripe horn fills, and spicy bass-drum interaction.

And the intensity just never abates. "Plan B," by the great and underrated guitarist Dean Brown, keeps the groove expanding. The title cut starts out with an outrageously powerful drum figure, augmented by some serious Brecker sax and what can only be described as over-the-top Fender Rhodes stylings by Beard. Brecker's solo, beginning around the three-minute mark, burns with an intensity and authority only to be--dare one say it--casually destroyed by a mind-boggling drum solo from Chambers. Some spacy Rhodes work from Beard serves as a kind of bridge unitl Brecker comes storming back, all the while pushed to the limits by Chambers' screaming drum kit. Sound intimidating. Incredibly, it's not. It's just the highest-level fun one can imagine.

With "Baltimore, DC," we're in some kind of funkadelic time warp, combining a Sly Stone/Parliament vibe with Sco at his earthiest. The last cut, the James Brown vehicle "Talking Loud and Saying Nothing," comes across as some kind of "I can blow you out of the water without even trying" thang: funk so casually worn as to be effortless.

Hey, I don't even especially like this kind of music; it certainly wouldn't be my first choice of sounds to select from my vast jazz collection. But there's something way beyond normal happening here that vaults this into some kind of jazz-funk seventh heaven, which only the terminally tin-eared would care to pass by.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely sick!, April 26, 2003

By 

Karl Palma (Mount Laurel, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outbreak (Audio CD)

After spending countless hours watching dennis chambers drum videos, I finally got the opportunity to buy his CD. Oh, my God, I think I just died and gone to heaven. This is a FUNK/FUSION must for all the drummers out there. Believe me, I'm going to school for drums, and I think this my holy bible. My favorite song has to be OTAY with that nasTy (with a capital T) bassline. Yes it is in 4/4, he just changes the beat around. When I first heard this song while driving, I could of sworn I almost drove off the road. Every song is SOLID. This is some blazin' funk/fusion for all you drummers like myself that aren't too big into straight ahead.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smart funk, March 17, 2003

By 

Serdar Karabati (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outbreak (Audio CD)

While not an atypical record Outbreak is full of smart thinking and playing. Witty, tasteful horn arrangements and the interactive, strong quartet playing with those like John Scofield and Gary Willis capture attention at first hearing. Add the fresh, groovy stuff from Jim Beard on Wurlitzer, Rhodes and clavinet. This is one of the rare fusion&funk albums worth hearing!