Jazz Articles about Revolutionary Snake Ensemble

like 5

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble: Serpentine

by Don Ball
April 16, 2026

Any jazz band, especially a brass band, that is willing and capable of taking on the erratic rhythms and wild fluctuations of a Frank Zappa instrumental is worthy of kudos. And the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble's take of “Son of Mr. Green Genes" on their release Serpentine demonstrates their immense musical capabilities. The group was formed by saxophonist, flautist and composer Ken Field in 1990, and the album documents their performance at the Regattabar in Boston as part of their ...

like 2

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, Dave Douglas, The Naked Boys, Funkwrench Blues & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
October 28, 2025

Psychedelic boogaloo jams, games of fantasy jazz, progressive funk influences and downtown vibes are the main ingredients of this fun playlist! Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Ari Joshua feat. Skerik, Delvon Lamarr, Grant Schroff “Scared of Eric" Synesthesia (Music Factory) 0:16 Host talks 4:34 Funkwrench Blues feat. Nduduzo Makhathini, Lenny White, David Boyce, David DR Robbins Frank Swart) “Reflections from the Future" Mischief in the ...

like 3

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, Thomas Morgan, Trio of Bloom & Monk

by Maurice Hogue
October 14, 2025

There's a bit of a celebratory tilt to this episode of One Man's Jazz as Boston's Revolutionary Snake Ensemble led by saxophonist Ken Field hits the 35-year mark with the release of Serpentine, the Dutch powerhouse Spinifex marks its 20th year of originality with the upcoming Maximus, and the whole jazz world celebrates the October 10th birthday of Thelonious Monk with the release of Bremen 1965 which has been locked away in the vaults of Radio Bremen in Germany all ...

like 274

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble: Forked Tongue

by Joel Roberts
October 4, 2008

What do Billy Idol, Ornette Coleman and Doris Day have in common? One thing at least: They’re all fodder for the creative madness of the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble (RSE), the wildly eclectic, uproariously entertaining Boston-based group that offers a post-modern, Sun Ra-meets-Mardi Gras twist (down to their outrageous costumes) on the New Orleans brass band tradition.

like 352

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble: Forked Tongue

by Mark Corroto
July 5, 2008

Feel good. It's okay to feel good in these days of war, floods, pestilence, and (insert the current price of) gasoline. Certainly the tradition of jazz, especially New Orleans jazz, tells us to celebrate the moment, even if that moment is minutes after you've buried a love one. For that you must have a brass band and the troop known as the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble is certainly a worthy one.

Founded in Boston by saxophonist Ken Field in ...

like 351

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble: Year of the Snake

by AAJ Staff
November 15, 2003

Two things matter most when it comes to funk: the music has to be fun, and it can't be boring. Apply this filter and a whole lot of mass market dreck drops right out the bottom. But plenty of records pass the test--for example, Garage a Trois and Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet--and they deserve frequent, loud play. Such is the way of the Snake.

Ten years after the Revolution, this Boston group has finally found its way onto ...