eMusic Review 0
They began as the pit band for the Flying Karamazov Brothers, in San Francisco, but they eventually drifted east and have morphed over the years into a lineup of some of NY's most potent Downtown players. Often described as a horn ensemble with drums, the crew actually includes various keyboards and guitars when called for, as well as a wide-eyed approach to music that has led them to record, over the years, not only original works but highly original covers — of everything from a pop song from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to the music of German avant-garde-meister Karlheinz Stockhausen. This album begins with a jazzy reading of Igor Stravinsky's "Tango" and includes a loose-limbed version of Duke Ellington's "Mystery Song," but the focus is on the band's own manic mix of jazz, cabaret, post-rock and chamber music. The Ellington-inspired "Duke's Entrance" or the oddly lyrical "Canon" and "Chorale" are among the highlights.
