Jeff Coffin & the Mu'tet - Bloom (2005)

Tracklist

01. Move Your Rug... Processional (Blues for Otha)
02. Better Do Your Thing
03. The Evil Boweevil
04. My Dog Chunks
05. The Mad Hatter Rides Again
06. Circle of Wills
07. Hatim
08. Bloom
09. Old Jack Craw
10. As Light Through Leaves
11. Weird Beard
12. Wobble



We've heard of quartets, quintets, sextets, etc, but "mu'tet"s? That's the multi-saxophonist's way of covering the many different ensemble switches and guest personnel appearing on this wildly wonderful, genre-defying effort, which was made possible by the hiatus of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, of which Jeff Coffin has been a member of since 1997. The energy of the up-tempo tracks - which range from the brassy New Orleans "second line" party tunes "Move Your Rug" and "Better Do Your Thing" to the hip-hop soul-jazz of "The Mad Hatter Rides Again" -- is so intense that you never want it to come down. When DJ Logic is working the turntables and Tyler Wood is doing the B-3, we be jammin' for sure. Thus, the dreary if well played "Circle of Wills" crashes the party with an unfortunate thud - but only temporarily, with the in-from-outer-space, seven-minute "Hatim" to the rescue. The song has a trippy African percussion vibe, moody bassline (by bandmate Victor Wooten) and creeping ambience, weird but cool as Bйla Fleck's banjo plucks along with machine generated voices; the only disappointment here is the way too esoteric use of Kirk Whalum and Coffin's formidable dual sax talents. Coffin switches to flute on the folksy title track, which features a kids' choir, then steps aside as slide guitarist Pat Bergeson simmers with gospel intensity on the Coffin composition "Old Jack Craw" (which features no woodwind). Coffin's flute on the lyrical "As Light Through Leaves" is probably his most melodic playing on the whole disc, and his bluesy sax on "Wobble" makes for a fun-loving closer. All over the place? Sure. Self-indulgent? Maybe. But take away a track or two and the open-minded listener has probably never had this much crazy fun on one collection. So get over it.

Personnel: Jeff Coffin (vocals, flute, alto flute, fife, bass clarinet, saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, percussion, bells); Roy Agee (vocals, trombone, percussion); Tyler Wood (vocals, piano, percussion); Johnny Neel (vocals, Hammond b-3 organ); Victor Wooten (vocals, acoustic bass, double bass, electric bass, bass guitar, background vocals); Jeff Sipe (vocals, drums, percussion, background vocals); Paul Brantley (cello); Rahsaan Barber (tenor saxophone); Rod McGaha (trumpet); Roland Barber (trombone); Joe Murphy (tuba); Derek P. Jones (double bass); Derico Watson (drums, tambourine); Future Man (percussion); Pat Bergeson (vocals, guitar, slide guitar); Bela Fleck (banjo); Chris Thile (mandolin); Kirk Whalum (soprano saxophone); DJ Logic (turntables); W.O. Smith Community Music School Choir.

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