How Now Brown Cow: Don't Drink the Milk - It's Spoiled

Instrumental funk/soul bands are often spurned by the jazz aficionados as less serious than "real" jazz bands, but that would be a mistake with How Now Brown Cow. Despite the playfulness of the band name and song titles, in addition to having a great deal of fun playing, they are serious musicians and this is seriously good music.

How Now Brown Cow has played in the Seattle , Washington community for more than a decade, often as a trio. This live recording from the Sea Monster Lounge, where the band plays regularly, showcases the improvisatory finesse of the band members, from Dave Kurtiak's thick, complicated bass runs to Donovan Pfeifer's solid groove on drums to Kerry O'Connor's funky keyboards. They are supplemented on this recording by Brad Schrandt on sax and flute, a frequent collaborator with the band. His contributions add a forceful texture to the songs and help elevate them even more.

The opener, "No Cat Having Bag," sets the tone for the album. A stomping funky number, the tune is pushed along by Kurtiak's pulsating, busy basslines and Pfeifer's stuttering stickwork, with Schrandt and O'Connor trading solos over the tight rhythm. The members complement each other and engage in keeping the sound fresh and exciting. Even when they slow it down in songs like "Pippity Poppity" and "South of No North," Kurtiak's fingers are moving up and down the bass neck to Pfeifer's steady beat, with O'Connor throwing accents from the keyboards. This is a band on the level of like-minded but better-known bands like Lettuce and Snarky Puppy.

The musical conversations they have on every song are engrossing as well as danceable, especially between O'Connor and Schrandt, working almost as call-and-response at times. The use of flute on a couple of songs offers a different, unexpected flavor. While a more muscular instrument like the sax is expected on funk songs rather than the more delicate flute, Schrandt uses the instrument on "Hang a Louie" to drive the song, while on "That Dog Don't Hunt" he lets the flute float above the cascading keyboard groove O'Connor lays down over a bouncing rhythm from Kurtiak and Pfeifer.   

Based on this recording, the band is definitely one to see live. Although the title is a bit misleading—there is nothing spoiled about this music. Drink it up and you will feel like the psychedelic cow of the cover, well-sated and a little woozy.