Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jim Hobbs & The Fully Celebrated Orchestra: Lapis Exilis

201

Jim Hobbs & The Fully Celebrated Orchestra: Lapis Exilis

By

View read count
Jim Hobbs & The Fully Celebrated Orchestra: Lapis Exilis
The Fully Celebrated Orchestra is an uncommon creature, even in the bizarro world of free jazz. While its music remains firmly rooted in the jazz aesthetic, the orchestra frequently invites other elements to its dance. Invite might be too soft, actually; these players demand action, movement, and depth from rock, soul, funk, and several non-Western influences. Placed into their compositions, the potent mix makes for jazz that is more urgent and youthful than swing, more eclectic than bop. It is, certainly, the future of jazz. (Yeah, I said it!)

On Lapis Exilis the group presents nine songs that cover a vibrant range of possibilities. The compositions, all written by the group's leader, 37-year-old alto saxophonist Jim Hobbs, are brilliant in execution, unfolding and unraveling with assertion and charm. The group of cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum, bassist Timo Shanko (last year's excellent Freedom Right Now), and drummer Django Carranza meets the composer's challenge with appropriate zest; they are soft and lush when pensive, strong and brash when excited.

Songs like the Indian-derived "Lord of Creatures," "Lapis Exilis," and the almost mariachi-like "Farewell" come gently, while "Throne of Osiris," "The Mackie Burnette," and "Billylillylillybilly" are jagged, angled, and wild. As the album progresses, the group's ability to play lucid melodies in either the inside or outside traditions of jazz is remarkable, fun and accessible. These players never lose the listener in abstractions or oddities that might scare and/or intimidate. Lapis Exilis is truly an adventure, a wonderful view into the possibilities and promises of jazz.

Track Listing

1. Lord of Creatures 2. Throne of Osiris 3. Ol' Lady Who? 4. The Mackie Burnette 5. Apple Orchard and the Worm 6. Three Rivers 7. Billylillylillybilly 8. Lapis Exilis 9. Farewell

Personnel

Jim Hobbs
saxophone, alto

Jim Hobbs: alto saxophone; Timo Shanko: bass; Taylor Ho Bynum: cornet; Django Carranza: drums

Album information

Title: Lapis Exilis | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Skycap Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.