Excess Luggage

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Excess Luggage: Hand Luggage Only

by Dave Wayne
December 12, 2011

Given this Norwegian trio's two keyboards-plus-drums instrumentation, there may be the expectation of something avant-garde, or perhaps something reminiscent of '70s-era prog rock. However, on Hand Luggage Only, Excess Luggage's core values are firmly oriented towards aggressive, swinging modern jazz. This is clear from the CD's first track, the bobbing, weaving “Annoying You." The title may refer to the tune's mechanical-sounding, syncopated, repetitious melody--though nothing about it is truly annoying. Another thing that's immediately apparent is how well the instrumentation ...