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Walking With Giants

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

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Album Review

The Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is a rather fascinating trio. Reed Mathis is the main wild card, for he plays acoustic bass, octave pedal-induced bass (which sometimes sounds like a guitar), cello, 12-string guitar and sitar. Mathis is often in the lead (particularly when playing in the upper register), pianist Brian Haas is quite unpredictable (almost swinging in spots and then indulging in sound explorations), and drummer-percussionist Jason Smart is very alert to the other two musicians' spontaneous ideas. The music is avant-garde, but also crosses over into fusion and post-bop. There are times when one wishes the group would break into a groove but the episodic music does not find them settling into any one basic idea for long. In addition to the 13 selections on this CD (all originals), this set also comes with a four-song DVD ("Pacific"/"Walking With Giants"/"Slow Breath Silent Mind"/"There Is No Method"), music that was freely improvised on March 30 and 31, 2004 before an audience at Yoshi's in Oakland. The addition of the DVD makes this set a particularly good buy for listeners curious as to what the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is about.

Customer Reviews

Great sounding group!

This is a great album! Very innovative. Congratulations guys! Keep up the good work.

Stunning

I'm a youngun, a mere 22 years of age. However, I was raised on jazz from a very young age by my father who to this day plays trumpet with jazz bands around town. As I got older, that appreciation for improv carried over into my interest of jambands, which subsequently led to my discovery of JFJO. I've listened to many jazz albums and many more containing improvisation, and this one halted my day upon first listen. Talk about coverage of territory, and in such a beautiful manner. I usually listen to jazz while studying because it keeps me focused for some reason, but I had to put down the book while listening to this one. The imagery induced by this album is incredible, and done so with only three instruments. JFJO's organic side shines radiantly here, and I wish they'd produce more music in this outfit. Sean's Song brought a tear to my eye, I kid not. Acoustic jazz at its finest, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey at its finest, DO NOT hesitate to grab this one.

Biography

Genre: Jazz

Years Active: '90s, '00s

When novices discover the experimental music of the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, they are surprised to learn that there is no one named Jacob Fred — the group's name is meant to be clever and ironic. Novices also learn that the Tulsa, OK outfit's mildly avant-garde blend of jazz, rock, and funk draws on a wide variety of influences; JFJO have been influenced by everyone from electric Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix to Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, Larry Young, and John Scofield. Often quirky,...
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Walking With Giants, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
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