Ticklah – “Polydemic ” – [Razorfish Studios, Inc.]

Acid jazz, much like trip hop, seems to be one of those genre labels that unintentionally demean the style of music it s trying to categorize. So we won t call this acid jazz; how about “60′s-influenced groove jazz?” Whatever you call it, it’s damn fine music from Victor Axelrod, aka Ticklah. Mostly instrumental, with the occasional soundbite and female vocals on one track, this will probably appeal to fans of the Greyboy Allstars or Medeski, Martin and Wood. Highlights include the funky “Toe Foo,” the organ-based “Ray Castoldi World Tour,” the soulful and sample-heavy “Japanese!!!,” and the reggae groove of “Ticklah’s Swing.”