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Frank Macchia: Frank Macchia's Swamp Thang
ByWith Frank Macchia's Swamp Thang, the versatile saxophonist takes a trip into a sonic landscape of bayou boogie, blues, funk, and New Orleans second-line with joyful and freewheeling attitude, letting the good times roll wild and crazy. The leader's wailing sax is usually located dead center of a controlled chaos, with swirling calliope keyboards, snapping, stinging guitars and get-up-and-shake-it grooves.
Opening this set of Macchia originals, Tom Lockett lays down a solid and beefy bass line inside the calamitous ensemble sound of "Discombobulated." "Funky Grease Bucket" conjures images of the late super soul vocalist James Brown breaking into one of his get-out-of-my-way-Michael Jackson dance routines, with Macchia going guttural on baritone saxophone, inside brassy horns and breezy keyboards, over a backdrop of precision-slashing guitars.
The title tune has a thick, murky rhythm and muscular, ominous mood, while "Chuggin'" is Macchia's entry into the "train song" genre, with the band charging down the tracks without a thought about applying the brakes, whistle screaming over the clamor of metallic wheels and machinery.
This mostly wild ride closes out with "Upsy Daisy," the only stream-of-consciousness tune, featuring many meter changes and shifting grooves, and a cool and laidback tenor solo from Macchia, accompanied beautifully by the band in a sort of voice-of-gathering-sanity wind-down to a ferocious party-time set of sounds.
Track Listing
Discombobulated; Funky Grease Bucket; Hopscotch; Shhhh!; Mumbo Gumbo, Dumbo Gumbo; Butterfingers; Swamp Thang; Jungle Dance; Chuffin'; Sick Shuffle; Rhueben's Rhythmic Rhumba; Upsy Daisy.
Personnel
Frank Macchia
composer / conductorFrank Macchia: saxophones; John Rosenberg: keyboards; Kenn Rosser: electric guitar; Eric Jensen: electric guitar; Tom Locket: electric bass; Frank Briggs: drums, percussion; Alex Iles: trombone; Wayne Bergeron: trumpet.
Album information
Title: Frank Macchia's Swamp Thang | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Cacophony
Comments
About Frank Macchia
Instrument: Composer / conductor
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