Jacob Koller
file under: JAZZ
Jacob Koller is a straight up genius who’s been
playing classical piano since he was four and never looked back …think
Jacob Fred… more
Bewildered Herd
by The Dead Kenny G’s
Bewildered Herd
by The Dead Kenny G’s
RELEASE DATE: 2010-07-27
The history of sound was instantly shaped in this musical battle of epic proportions! It was the devil himself
a thin, curly-head soprano saxophone playing leader who robbed jazz of it's soul vs. a group of “smooth jazz assassins” (Skerik, Mike Dillon and Brad Houser) that finally stood up to the forces of evil once and for all. It was the real Kenny G vs.The Dead Kenny G's in a battle to death that (through the magic of ropeadope) can be relived through this eleven-track recorded statement which bridges the gap between Demon Fuzz, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Minutemen, Les Claypool, and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. One minute they’re cool and jazzy, and then WHAM! They’re metal! All wrapped up in some art from Mister Les Claypool himself? A reissue worth reissuing in more ways than one.
a thin, curly-head soprano saxophone playing leader who robbed jazz of it's soul vs. a group of “smooth jazz assassins” (Skerik, Mike Dillon and Brad Houser) that finally stood up to the forces of evil once and for all. It was the real Kenny G vs.The Dead Kenny G's in a battle to death that (through the magic of ropeadope) can be relived through this eleven-track recorded statement which bridges the gap between Demon Fuzz, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Minutemen, Les Claypool, and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. One minute they’re cool and jazzy, and then WHAM! They’re metal! All wrapped up in some art from Mister Les Claypool himself? A reissue worth reissuing in more ways than one.
Track Listing
- 01. Birther Blues
- 02. I'm Your Manager, I'm Your Pimp
- 03. Death Panel
- 04. Bewildered Herd
- 05. Black Goldman Sax
- 06. Yeah, Cat....
- 07. Jake Brakin'
- 08. Purgatory
- 09. Hairy Bulgaria
- 10. Byater Bhangra (improv #1)
- 11. Shantiniketan (improv #2)
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About the Artist
The Dead Kenny Gs consists of Skerik (saxophone, keyboards, vocals), Mike Dillon (drums, vibraphone, percussion, vocals) and Brad Houser (bass, baritone saxophone). A powerful trio that runs the gamut of extreme music. Since the release of their debut record 'The Bewildered Herd', the band has been touring the country destroying smooth jazz nightly.
While it's difficult to define their style, it's easy to spot the trio's disdain for the smooth 'n' cheesy stuff soprano sax star Kenny G embraces. Don't request a version of Kenny G's 1999 overdubbing of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," unless you're up for a fistfight.
The three skillful dudes in Seattle-based punk-jazz project The Dead Kenny G's shake up songs that are already shaken up. Fluid, expressive, and technically mind-blowing, the trio's funky and aggressive blend of styles keeps them joyfully off track in their own weird way.
"This band is something we all put a lot of energy and attention into," says drummer Mike Dillon, who handles vibraphone, tabla, and odd bits of extra percussion on stage. "It's good and bad. You can lump it into the 'everything' category. It's like we have musical A.D.D. or something. We're not just a post-modern instrumental band, though."
All three G's perform together in Seattle's eclectic Afro-jazz/rock ensemble Critters Buggin. Dillon (also of Go-Go Jungle) and tenor and baritone saxophonist Skerik (also of Tuatara) played together in Garage A Trois and Les Claypool's Fancy Band. Bassist and sax player Brad Houser (formerly of Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians ... yes, that's him in the video for "What I Am" with the tie dye and the fretless Fender) splits his time between Texas and Seattle.
"It's fun ... there aren't a lot of rules with this band," Dillon says of the G's. "We don't take ourselves seriously, but we do take the music seriously. Everyone pays respect to musical traditions — whether it's James Brown or Milt Jackson — and they bring in new stuff, too.
"The punk aspect is always there," he adds. "In the middle of any song, I'm liable to start playing a punk rock beat. And when we're at our worst, we fall on our face just like any band."
Amid the chaotic looseness, there's an underlying purpose and mission within the music of the trio's new studio collection, Bewildered Herd.
"There are a few singing songs, and we get our rap on here and there, but we haven't turned away from the instrumental songs," says Dillon. "Some political event might inspire some spontaneous singing on stage at times."