GEORGE BROOKS — Spirit and Spice (review)

GEORGE BROOKS — Spirit and Spice album cover Album · 2010 · World Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
Although George Brooks has been performing Indo jazz fusion for quite some time, his name was new to me until I received this recent release by him, ‘Spirit and Spice’ and what a great release it is. This is one of the freshest takes on Indo fusion I have heard in a while and one of the finest jazz CDs to come out in 2010. George pushes himself hard on here to avoid the clichés and comes up with some truly unique and creative tunes and arrangements. A lot of this CD’s strength is in the arrangements where special care is given to avoid monotony as instruments come and go in the mix and there is a realization of how important instrumental color is to a piece of music. The importance of instrumental color is well known to exotica musicians such as Les Baxter, composers like Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov, jazz arrangers like Quincey Jones and art rockers like Brian Wilson. They get it, but unfortunately this is a concept that is lost on a lot of jazz groups where four or five people continuously play through each tune without any regard to varying the tonal color of the ensemble. The other big plus on here is George’s gift for melody. How many fusion records have you heard where the ‘melody’ sounds like a finger exercise that is quickly discarded so they can get to the jam part. In contrast to that, Brooks composes nice melodies that border on sentimental, but are never maudlin or overbearing.

One standout cut is album opener ‘Monsoon Blues’ on which Brooks plays a fast bop melody over a hyper drumnbass-funk beat that sounds like a modern version of the JBs. This hyper Indo-drumnbass jazz style is a lot of fun, but they do not return to this style again. Much of the rest of this CD is made up of melancholy melodies treated to relaxed improvisations that sometimes get close to a Laswell style Dub effect, although never as much into the cliché druggy trip-hop sound as Laswell. Brooks music can be almost psychedelic, but it is a bright natural psychedelic sound that is based in Indian music, not the dark chemical enhanced sound associated with the rock world. Track six, ‘Sri Rollins’, breaks the reflective mood with a nod to Sonny Rollins’ calypso style and album closer ‘Casting’ seems to channel Wayne Shorter with its abstract melody and rhythms.

The future looks bright for George Brooks, I hope he continues to push himself into creating music that is devoid of clichés and full of fresh melodies and bright orchestrations.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
Matt wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Sounds good John

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Sonic Creed Volume II : Life Signs World Fusion
STEFON HARRIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
My Ship Hard Bop
WILLIE JONES III
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ice Breaking Post-Fusion Contemporary
DAG ARNESEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin : Brasil Latin Jazz
LEE RITENOUR
Buy this album from MMA partners
From The North - Gogo Penguin Live In Manchester Nu Jazz
GOGO PENGUIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

03 Willie Jones III My Ship #NightIsAlive
WILLIE JONES III
snobb· 16 hours ago
Fall
SUNNY KIM
js· 1 day ago
Twilight
RANDY SCOTT
js· 2 days ago
Trifecta - Beck and Call - official video (taken from The New Normal)
TRIFECTA
js· 3 days ago
Phoenix
GRÉGORY PRIVAT
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed