eMusic Review 0
Dred Scott was the keyboardist for the short-lived mid-90s group Alphabet Soup, which memorably mixed funky fusion jazz with incendiary hip hop. His trio has owned Tuesday nights at the Rockwood in New York for years now, generating raves for its unconventional music and motley fan base. Given all that, this recording of two gigs at the Rockwood is surprisingly straight-ahead, but quality, invigorating bop and post-bop jazz nonetheless.
"Well You Might" is a song Scott's been playing for years, an obvious variation on Thelonious Monk's "Well You Needn't," with Scott capturing Monk's angular attack and wry turns-of-phrase without slavish imitation. "The Wizard" is the Black Sabbath song (the trio also regularly performs "Don't Fear the Reaper" in concert), and seems to hew to the Bad Plus pop-cover method of sculpting and then improvising on the familiar melody. "Hard Stuff" and "Three-Legged Dance" seem looser and more spontaneously conceived than the Monk or the Ozzy, and reveal Scott's piano chops, which are strong and can gust up a notch even when he's at a cantering pace. "This Ain't No Russian Novel Baby" is slower and more contemplative, and "Doggie and Cookie" is noteworthy because it showcases bassist… read more »
