Deerhoof & Wadada Leo Smith
To Be Surrounded By Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough
Deerhoof happily exist in that nebulous world where rock and roll and experimental music coexist. On their album, Deerhoof play music that blends post rock with progressive rock influences. This live album was recorded at La Poisson Rouge as part of New York Cities Winter Jazzfest.
I imagine this as a rock and roll show with an extended improvisational encore with trumpeter, Wadada Leo Smith. “Believe E.S.P,” opens the show with its big, crunchy power chords playing against Satomi Matsuzaki’s lost waif vocals. “Bad Kids to the Front” makes me think of what the prog band Renaissance would have sounded like as a punk band.
Wadada Leo Smith joins Deerhoof on “Snoopy Waves.” The jerky rhythms and Smith’s horn gives me hallucinations of the Magic Band playing with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. “Break Up Song” makes me wonder what would have happened if the Minutemen had gone off with Charlie Haden to make freak music after their one and only jam session.
I like it when worlds collide. I like hearing people from different parts of the musical spectrum finding common ground. I wish more of us were looking for common ground.
(100% of album proceeds benefit Black Lives Matter. www.blacklivesmatter.com)
