Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord - No New Tunes

A certified smoker...Primarily acoustic instruments with a sound way left of center there is a certain grit to this recording guaranteed to set your hair on fire.

In short...I dig it.

This is also a critics worst nightmare as trying to pigeon hole the sound here is next to impossible. Ornette Coleman meets Switchfoot? Well...maybe. Hard bop with an accessible hard rock attitude with improvisational chops galore. This is what some critics mean when they use the phrase "cutting edge" to describe a release. Did I mention the release is available for a whopping five bucks? My latte costs more than this disc and is not near as tasty. Now back to the good stuff...

Jon Lundbom is also taking a more revolutionary approach to the marketing of this disc. Well...it's not really a disc to start. Only available as a digital download on www.jonlundbom.com and for those of you still desperately clinging to the hope that vinyl will come roaring back there is a limited edition vinyl pressing. A far more expansive style than any of the past Jon Lundbom recordings, Lundbom manages to get his groove on with a hybrid swing while embracing the plethora of influences coming out of the jazz/rock sub genre that some have long left for dead, or at least commercially reinvented the music to make it more palatable to the general public. "The Bad! Thing" opens with a blistering if not somewhat mysterious saxophone melody while Lundbom goes into harmonic overdrive only to be equally matched by the dueling saxophones of Bryan Murray on tenor and Jon Irabagon on soprano. "The Other Third One" is an in the pocket controlled nasty of sonic fury that showcases the musical conversation between drummer Dan Monaghan and bassist Moppa Elliott. The more syncopated pop of "Follow The Swallow" is an older tune but fits the ebb and flow of this release perfectly.

The musicianship across the board is stellar. Jon Irabagon is one of the hot tickets in jazz saxophone while Bryan Murray adds character and depth to an intensely organic sound. Elliott and Monaghan are as fine a  rhythm section for a jazz/rock influenced combo and Lundbom is simply amazing while conducting a sonic exploratory on the visceral as well as the cerebral.

If you miss your morning coffee, simply listen to this...Guaranteed to jump start your heart unless your waiting on your autopsy report. Incredibly entertaining!

Tracks: The Bad! Thing; Talent For Surrender; And Be Made Visible; The Other Third One; Follow The Swallow; Of Being Done To.

Personnel: Jon Lundbom: guitar; Jon Irabagon: alto and soprano saxophones; Bryan Murray: tenor and balto saxophones; Moppa Elliott: bass; Dan Monaghan: drums.