Moppa Elliott - Jazz Band / Rock Band / Dance Band (2019)

Even the best of early ’70s jazz-rock fusion bands seldom rocked. Moppa Elliott rocks. Elliott’s new double-CD is structured as if it was three albums by three separate groups sharing the foundation of his bass playing. It’s an ensemble effort. Musicians play with each other rather than take turns soloing. Shrill avant-garde dissonance jams into classic rock riffs and hip-hop and soul grooves push along echoes of ’60s garage, ’70s new wave and McCoy Tyner jazz. It’s not as if we’ve never heard anything like it, but this kind of music hasn’t been heard often enough.