Customer Reviews

The Antisocial Club

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I bought this great cd just before Christmas and after quite a few spins I still find it an inspired listen. This music is obviously informed by electric Miles but it's much more than a pale imitation. I've enjoyed Alan's playing since the Tony Williams Lifetime days and it's great to hear him playing electric piano on these excellent new compositions aided by a crack ensemble. The band features the excellent young trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, along with Nels Cline on guitar, Jimmy Haslip on bass, Scott Amendola on drums, Alex Acuna on percussion, and Jeff Elwood on saxophones. The album is beautifully recorded with good dynamics as Jimmy Haslip's bass kicks off the title track. It's a medium tempo lyrical tune that leaves just the right amount of space between the notes to allow the listener room to hear each instrument distinctly. Although some of the extended pieces such as Fast Food, and Wicked Good are rather intense, overall the album has an upbeat positive vibe. The most enduring piece is the album closer, Message To Beloved Souls Departed. A beautiful and poignant ballad I find myself going back to time and time again. An excellent release from Mr. Pasqua, and Cryptogramophone!

This is the way that music might/should/could have continued since the early 70s....familiar elements from the great jazz made by Miles Davis and his colleagues....before the music became blander, less challenging, less menacing.....wonderful grooves, funked up electronic sounds....
first rate!

I got this disc because of Nels Cline's presence and what I had read about about Alan Pasqua. Other reviews compared the music to Miles electric fusion sound. That comparison is somewhat apt but this is not backwards looking music. I was pleasantly surprised by how sophisticated and varied the disc is. The musicianship is first-rate, tight, clear, and in control. The tunes are nuanced and discernable. This is carefully modelled music by players at the top of their game. I've been listening to it daily since I got it. . . .and wanting more.

Not being a jazz music critic, but owning hundreds of albums, I will keep the review short. This is one of my favorites. It rocks with a great electric funk / fusion sound. When you hear it, you think of the 70's, but the production is so sophisticated, you know it's completely modern. Sophisticated, upbeat, pure fun. Go for it.

This album is in the genre of Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew", "In a Silent Way" and Weather Report. It has its own personality and is beautifully played. No weak tracks, good taste throughout.