Bulletproof

Jazz | Feb 2012

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2012-02-20
BRISTLE: Bulletproof
Edgetone, 2012

AVANT-GARDE – This inventive Bay Area reeds & strings quartet (no drums) has an arty chamber feel but they’re not stuffy at all. The group is fresh, vibrant and unpredictable, starting with jaunty ditties or broad soundscapes but then pulling out the rug with outbursts of wild improv, abrupt changes in trajectory or gradual disntegration.

Randy McKean, Cory Wright : reeds
Murray Campbell : violin, oboe
Lisa Mezzacappa : bass

Try any. Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7

1. 5:01 – lopsided bounce, noise interjections, slurred interlude & open improv
2. 7:30 – slow: slips into group/duo percolation, gentle harmony, briefly harsh
3. 5:01 – see-saws back & forth, speeds, slows; second half elaborates on it
4. 4:51 – a series of riffing layers: some wild, some thoughtful, some just weird
5. 8:06 – melody refracts into shiny shards; switches to little chugging groove
6. 4:31 – bounces in place for a while, splinters into confusion, returns
7. 11:25 – very slow & abstract: quiet start; bold, drifting harmonies; agitated jungle-atmosphere murmurs and jabbing interjections
8. 5:14 – freebop bounce drops into a tense sax/bass duet, 4-way scribble

[ Fo ] - February 2012

Recent airplay

Notlob
Memory SelectApr 27, 2012
Boxcar Bob, Notlob
RebopApr 10, 2012
Notlob
No Cover, $5 MinimumMar 30, 2012
Boxcar Bob
No Cover, No MinimumMar 16, 2012
Notlob
Nathin' To DoMar 15, 2012
Budmo Jiggler
maximum entropy iiMar 15, 2012

Charting

2012-02-25 — 2012-04-28 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Apr 29 1
Apr 15 1
Apr 1 1
Mar 18 4

Track listing

1. Notlob
2. Boxcar Bob
3. Wheezy Breezy
4. Budmo Jiggler
5. Drizzle
6. Settlin'inin'
7. Attica
8. Revolution