Jazz Articles about Kneebody

Kneebody: Anti-Hero

by Vic Albani
February 27, 2017

Bene. Facciamo il punto. Sono anni che sostengo a piena voce come i Kneebody siano una delle vere, grandi realtà della musica moderna. Dunque persino ovvio che, nel mondo di oggi capace di fagocitare tutto con estrema leggerezza e ambiguità, il quintetto americano passi nel fiume galleggiando come tutto il resto. Ci sono persone che fortunatamente non sono d'accordo e riescono ancora a discernere l'estrema bellezza e l'intelligenza della musica di questi signori, davvero intensa, davvero “avanti," ...

Kneebody: You Can Have Your Moment

by C. Michael Bailey
August 24, 2010

West Coast eclectic Kneebody elbowed its way to the front of the crowd on Theo Bleckmann's Grammy-nominated Twelve Songs by Charles Ives (Winter & Winter, 2009). As is customary with Bleckmann, he always employs musicians empathetic with his creative and playful vision. On You Can have Your Moment, Kneebody is all business, pushing the musical envelope to the edge of sonic awareness. The band closes You Can have Your Moment with “High Noon," composed by trumpeter Shane ...

Kneebody: You Can Have Your Moment

by Dan Bilawsky
August 23, 2010

Kneebody needs no introduction for the avant-leaning, electro-acoustic jazz set--if such a specific subset of a crowd exists. This quintet has a way of combining high art improvisation with earthy grooves and electronic etching that nobody else can seem to match. The music on You Can Have Your Moment is a sonic stew that includes raucous rock grooves, progressive improvisation, ambient experimentation, rhythmic misdirection and a whole lot more. While all five members of this group have ...

Kneebody: You Can Have Your Moment

by Troy Collins
August 7, 2010

Following in the wake of Twelve Songs by Charles Ives, a 2009 collaboration with avant-garde vocalist Theo Bleckmann, You Can Have Your Moment is Kneebody's second album for the enterprising German label Winter & Winter, and the quintet's fourth full-length release since its self-titled 2005 debut on Greenleaf records. Similar to the band's sophomore effort, Low Electrical Worker (Colortone Media, 2007), this heavily amplified session finds the young ensemble delving further into electronic territory, eschewing the partially acoustic instrumentation of ...

Kneebody: Low Electrical Worker

by Ivana Ng
February 10, 2008

Kneebody's second full-length album starts off with an aggressive dose of jazz and industrial rock on “Poton." Drummer Nate Wood's slow, deliberate rhythm is irresistible, bordering on obnoxious, and tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel's improvising skills are well-suited to the quintet's combination of pop sensibility, jazz meditation and rock ferocity. A wave of sounds--trumpet, effects, Fender Rhodes, melodica, to name a few--hit the ears, but Wendel and trumpeter Shane Endsley's heady improv style meshes well, making everything sound cohesive.

Kneebody Brings Fresh Sound to San Francisco Jazz Fest 2007

by Aaron Nicholas Arabian
December 16, 2007

Kneebody 25th Anniversary San Francisco Jazz Festival Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California November 7, 2007

While yesterday's jazz greats had swing, bebop, and hard bop forming the core of their influences, the young improvisers of today have been brought up with a whole spectrum of musical influences, traditions and styles. From electronic music to hip hop to hard rock, the new generation of musicians soaks up everything around it and comes ...

Kneebody: Low Electrical Worker

by Troy Collins
May 24, 2007

A young quintet on the rise, Kneebody's self-titled 2005 debut on Dave Douglas' then newly formed Greenleaf records was an obvious indicator of its potential. The group's sophomore follow-up, Low Electrical Worker (released on Colortone Media), is a dense amalgam of genres and styles delivered with a unified voice.

Filled with youthful vigor, Kneebody delivers a sense of palpable enthusiasm throughout these varied tunes. Weaving together an impressive collection of stylistic influences, the quintet knits threads of M-Base ...