Yoshihide’s, Otomo New Jazz Orchestra – “Out to Lunch” – [Doubt Music]

Max Level   10/28/2006   CD, Jazz

Fantastic! Otomo (guitar/conductor) keeps blowing my mind with his varied projects. Here the late Eric Dolphy’s classic Blue Note record is rearranged for a jazz/rock ensemble and a few noise-type artists who add subtle touches with computer, sine waves, contact mic, mixing board, tubes, and the inside of a piano. Dolphy’s odd themes are the source material for this crazy mix of horn-heavy roller coaster jazz, headbanging rock, squirts and blurts, electronic snaps, crackles, and pops, and ambient textures. If Frank Zappa had extended his 7-minute “Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue” into a piece nearly an hour long, and had cats like Mats Gustafsson and Toshimaru Nakamura in his band, I think the sound would have been quite a bit like this. #5, the longest track by far, has more ringing soundscape and less in the way of well-defined jazz.