Pat Petrillo: Contemporaneous

Funk, fusion, blues and soul are the order of the day on drummer Pat Petrillo's recording, Contemporaneous, wherein he leads groups of various sizes, from septet to nonet, through their scrupulously designed paces and even plays every instrument (well, basically drums and percussion) on the album's anomalous title track (complete with "contemporaneous" voice-overs).

Petrillo relies heavily on vigorous rock-based rhythms to undergird the enterprise, which may be pleasing to some listeners, displeasing to others. The verdict here is that a little of that funk-based groove goes a long way, and an occasional change of pace would have served to enhance the proceedings. But such variations are nowhere to be found in this neighborhood, as Petrillo and his mates dive eagerly into every high-powered number.

Petrillo wrote or co-wrote every one of the album's eleven tunes and does strive, with some success, to insert melodic variety within the self-prescribed parameters of the music. Even so, much of it resembles the sort of commotion that might be overheard as it is being played full- volume by someone driving a convertible or a car with the windows down. It is not the melody that prevails but the insistent hammering of drums and percussion that lends the performance its gravity, momentum and, presumably, magnetism.

Even so, Petrillo and his colleagues are first-class musicians who know the score and lend it their best effort. This is essentially a collective endeavor in which improvised solos play a secondary role as the ensemble carries the ball while Petrillo's aggressive drum repartee provides the downfield blocking. The result, as Petrillo describes it, resembles "a mashup of Snarky Puppy and the Brecker Brothers jamming with Weather Report at Grover Washington Jr.'s backyard barbecue in Philly." Fans of fusion, funk and soul will no doubt know what he means by that.

Any appraisal of the album rests largely on one's familiarity with and attraction to the music, which in this case may best be described as vague and indifferent. On the other hand, Petrillo and his teammates are quite good at what they do, and many jazz enthusiasts who are of a different mind will no doubt welcome Contemporaneous with far more empathy and enthusiasm. Hats off to them, and to Petrillo and Co. for easing their hunger.

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