Contemporary Music

Contemporary Music is the second Slowdime release by the Washington, D.C., sextet the Sorts. This CD contains seven superbly played funk-dub-jazz instrumental tunes. The Sorts consist of Chris Farrall on drums percussion (formerly with Hoover), Stuart Fletcher on bass, ex-Rain Like the Sound of Trains member Joshua LaRue on guitar and synth, Carlo Cennamo on alto sax, Vin Novara on electronic piano and percussion, and Ken Schweitzer on congas. The band has a relaxed feel and articulate tasty phrasings, they write creative compositions, and they manage to play their music with a powerful and understated aggressiveness. Five of the tunes on Contemporary Music are originals, one is a cover of Ornette Coleman’s “Una Muy Bonita,” while another is a version of Kool and the Gang’s “Let the Music Take Your Mind.” While the original compositions were recorded at Washington, D.C.’s Pirate House, the two covers were recorded live during one of their concerts in Faenza, Italy. An impressive CD — especially in this age of too many electronically canned music projects — Contemporary Music is yet another welcomed Slowdime release. – John Vallier