LIQUID SOUL
One-Two Punch
Telarc
Liquid Soul is a musical collective (only
saxophonist/leader Mars Williams remains from 2002’s
release Evolution) that formed as part of Chicago’s
burgeoning mid-90s acid jazz scene, though the band outgrew
the acid jazz label almost entirely by the time they made
their debut recording. Williams, who co-produces here along
with programmer Van Christie, has a natural ability to combine
free jazz-type improvisation with the hard edged rhythms
of popular music, be they rock, hip-hop, funk, or soul.
On their latest release, One-Two Punch,
Williams and his band of musical merry pranksters pump up
the electronics and effects, the loops and samples, and
the electric guitar. The result is a freewheeling excursion
into dense studio soundscapes filled with energy and some
good jamming to boot. Take the opener, "Baghdad Cafe"--over
a sonic landscape that mixes a trancey bass line with exotic
elements such as tabla and snippets of speech and vocal
sound, Williams leads his horn line, comprised of himself,
tumpeter Hugh Ragin, and trombonist Andy Baker through the
melody before exploding to the forefront with a solo on
mussette. “Attaboy is a straight ahead dance track
with a funky horn line and funk to spare.
“Body and Mind” pushes on into
hip-hop territory, with a contemporary r&b vocal refrain
and some rapping as well. Williams plays a hot sax solo
that further heats this piece up, until Steve Hunt arrives
to cool it down with some vibes work that sound like the
swirl of ice in a tall glass. “Sex God” starts
like the soundtrack to a high speed chase in a spy movie,
but then there’s suddenly a weird, spacey interlude
that will blow your mind before it snaps back to the original
tempo and feel. “Five Finger Discount” has an
island feel to the rhythms, with some mean surf-guitar from
Tommy Klein.
There are several interludes that occur between
the tracks, and a couple of these are based on jazz musicians’
work—“Bebop Interlude” is inspired by
Dizzy Gillespie, while “Liquid Angels” is an
interpretation of an Albert Ayler tune. This is more than
paying lip service to jazz music, however, as anyone who
listens to Williams’ playing throughout this CD will
attest. His solo on “5 Finger Discount,” for
example, gets down and funky, but it also recalls the tone
of free jazz saxophonists like Ayler and Archie Shepp. “Peanut
Head,” which begins firmly as a hip-hop jam breaks
into a free jazz interlude at one point, before coalescing
around a mellow Williams solo.
The final track features Vernon Reid shredding
it up with his loud, relentless guitar style forming a basis
for the horn line to sit on top of. The piece stomps along
towards its inevitable conclusion, driven by a wailing soprano
solo from Williams and more wailing guitar from Reid. When
it’s over, you won’t know what musical genre
to identify with Liquid Soul, and that seems like part of
the plan. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, because it’s
going to be a great one.
