Music Reviews

A.J. Love

Interplanetary Funk

Angel Magic

To shamelessly borrow from a pop song: A.J. Love’s pretty fly for a white guy. Love doesn’t play guitar. He works it harder than an Indonesian youth in a sweatshop. And he comes out with something a lot nicer, sweeter, and a hell of a lot more beautiful than the latest Jordans. Love, himself, has jammed with Buddy Miles. His sax man, Hanah Jon Taylor, is part of Chicago’s AACM and has played with Miles and Ritchie Havens. Bassist Jeff Eckels has provided backbone for Joe Lovano and Wynton Marsalis. And drummer Gerald Williams has performed with James Ingram.

What these four gentlemen have created is anything but civil. Interplanetary Funk is a funk / rock / jazz collage much in the On The Corner spirit with dashes of Jimi thrown into the mix. Love can, no doubt, play and has mastered both jazz and rock styles. Taylor’s sax and flute playing feels as though the clays of Maceo and Charlie Parker have been mashed together by Coltrane’s hand. And Williams and Eckels provide seriously grimy grooves on which Love and Taylor glide to soaring heights.

Though you may not have heard of Love and crew, you should definitely do yourself a favor and open your ears to them. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Angel Magic Music: http://www.angelmagicmusic.com


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