Reptet: Chicken or Beef?

The album opens with the funky "Danger Notes." Starting off in New Orleans party band mode, percussionist John Ewing and bassist Tim Carey guide a path that ebbs from the scorching solo of saxophonist Chris Credit to the more contemplative, textural mood over which Samantha Boshnack's trumpet can shine.

Things get even less predictable on "Reptet Score!" With a flurry of horns and percussion, the piece uses a Latin-tinged theme, building until the whole unit yells "hey!" before slinking into a steady, understated groove that meets somewhere between the dance floor and the lounge. The piece breaks apart soon enough, with horn squalls and guffaws abounding, sounding not unlike Spike Jones and his City Slickers if they were to cover Sun Ra.

"Chicken or Beef?" starts off with one member proclaiming that he is from the future before a Roland Kirk like party favor kicks off a percussive groove intermixed with electronic washes. Tobi Stone guests on clarinet with a fine solo that maintains the taut quirkiness of the track. A chant of the title builds into something not far off from a funkier version of the Residents, chugging along with abandon before slipping into "That's Chicken or Beef," in which a ska-inflected rhythm is turned into a soloist's delight, this time with trombonist Nelson Bell leading the way.

The unit slows down for "Gwand Wabbit," whose broadly sweeping rhythm is further pinned down by the vocal washes of guest singers Maeg O'Donoghue-Williams, Sari Breznau, Kevin Hinshaw and Scott Adams. The respite is quickly interrupted though, as "Fish Market" presents a manic lyrical musing on, well, fish markets, with interlocking horn lines moving about over Izaak Mills' steady bass clarinet riff to create a Frank Zappa meets Dirty Dozen Brass Band atmosphere of wacky fun and highly skilled musicianship.

Ultimately, that's what Reptet seems all about. Chicken or Beef? is less the defining artistic statement of a creative collective than a document of a highly skilled and engaging group that is subtly stretching the bounds of its medium without sacrificing its favorite part of it all, the fun.

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