Joe Zawinul
's enigmatic remark "We always solo and we never solo" from the liner notes for the first
Weather Report
album could just as easily have been a reference to
Baecastuff
. More groove- and riff-oriented than the early
, the Australian sextet does share that band's emphasis on the collective, rather than the individual player. The music shifts from section to section, themes dissolving and reshaping themselves through the process of group improvisation. Key to this third album from
(named after a tobacco bush indigenous to Australia's Norfolk Island) are the classic, analog sounds of
Matt McMahon
's Fender Rhodes electric piano, appropriately tweaked to produce
fuzz
-wahed, synthesizer-like, sputtering, short-circuiting sounds in the tradition of Fender Rhodes masters
Zawinul
and
George Duke
. The
sound is further defined through the fluid, integrated performances of drummer
Simon Barker
and percussionist
Aykho Ahkrif
, the pair working together to achieve a true synergy and unity of purpose. On both electric and acoustic bass,
Alex Hewetson
pulls huge sounds from his instrument, notably his sub-sonic, throbbing electric bass intro to
"Rocky Point,"
by saxophonist
Rick Robertson
. For his part,
Roberston
frequently assumes the role of tone colorist, briefly stating themes before recasting them in new permutations that blend with the overall, collective approach. The collaboration is completed by trumpeter
Phillip Slater
, who paints with a fresh conception from a palette of squelched tones and rubbery phrasing that reveals elements of later period
Miles Davis
Don Cherry
. With its roots in the best elements of
jazz-fusion
and deftly incorporating influences from the avant-garde,
creates accessible music that has integrity and an audible sense of joy in realizing the collective potential inherent in six individual musical spirits. ~ Jim Todd