New York Underground Tapes

Slavic Soul Party – NY Underground Tapes
Reviewed by Sadie O., 5/9/12
“Gypsy Brass Band” from Brooklyn. Instrumentals, based on traditional songs and forms, but with bits of Latin and Jazz and Funk… Bits of Ooom-pah, bits of Opa!, bits of old cartoon music, bits of near-Klezmer… Well done and infectious. I like 10 best, and would like 8 just as much, but it’s short – boo!
1. 3:22 **big syncopated horns and drums. Swingy, definitely brassy, with maybe just a hint of Latin tinge. Almost be-bop improv in the trumpet solo.
2. 4:33 **blatty gypsy brass with menacing chords underneath for the intro, then Slavic dance with tons of bounce. Profoundly slinky solos, great percussion.
3. 4:08 **light and breezy (and uptempo) bounce.
4. 4:43 **ponderous brass with sweet and bouncy accordion – then the serious ooom-pah starts. Slows down midway and slowly speeds up to a manic tempo.
5. 5:26 **gypsy brass, rather traditional, goes back and forth between merely uptempo and hyperspeed, with a bit of deeply swingy midtempo with chitterings.
6. 3:50 **sweet midtempo sashay, with a distinctly lounge-mambo vibe. Some “Silly Symphonies” sound (in the best possible way).
7. 4:29 **interesting – sounds a bit like the second line band in Nawlins going TO the funeral, but with a strange time signature, like 4/4.5 or something…
8. 1:47 **trumpet flourish intro, sort of funky spy movie mambo groove. Way cool, but way too short! Crud.
9. 3:12 **downtempo (but with hyperactive horns), complicated as hell. Balkan brass meets math rock!
10. 5:13 ***funky, slinky midtempo wobble. A bit more fetching than manic. Some discordant jazzy chords. Whiffles.