Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: State Theatre, Falls Church, VA – 9/19/07

With the numerous side projects that the three members of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey have been dedicating themselves to lately, one might assume that their own music might have taken a backseat. That assumption would be completely wrong.

Starting their set at the State Theatre with an improv piece that began with a weightless bounce and continued to a driving war cry, Jacob Fred demonstrated that the time spent apart has been more than beneficial and that they are stronger and more creative than ever.

The set, opening for Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, wound through some great original selections mixed with some quite interesting covers, with the standout being bassist Reed Mathis’ arrangement of the Louis Armstrong piece, “Song Of The Vipers,” a song that as pianist Brian Hass explained, was banned in the U.S.A. back in the early 1930’s because of it’s affiliation with Armstrong’s favorite intoxicant of the time, marijuana.

Another great cover performed, The Beatles’ “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”, proved that the band really has a unique perspective on things in the way that they give this familiar song a new spastic jazz life.

While the covers were great in their own regard, the real gems of the set came with a couple notable originals. “Bumper Crop Of Strange” is a brand new tune, penned by Mathis, that was energetic and fast paced and featured Mathis conducting the band (while simultaneously playing) as the changes occurred, showcasing how well this unit, with relatively new drummer Josh Raymer, works together. The other standout, “Dove’s Army Of Love” is a tune that was written about the group’s former drummer when his wife had triplets. This dizzying syncopated piece pushed the music to the edge and had the room joyfully spinning.

Jacob Fred are on top of their game, a group that just keeps developing into new, refreshing directions while always paying tribute to the jazz masters. Fittingly Hass reminded the audience near the end of the set to remember to, “listen to a little jazz everyday.”

Setlist:
Improv
Bumper Crop Of Strange
Santiago
Song Of The Vipers
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
The Mystery About Johnny V
Old Love, New Love
Dove’s Army Of Love

More info on Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey can be found at: www.JFJO.com

Contributing Glide writer Joe Adler is a musician based out of Burlington, Vermont. He performs regularly with his band The Joe Adler Group.

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