Electric Moroccoland

Club d’Elf Electric Moroccoland/So Below (2 CD) 2011
--All Tracks are FCC CLEAN—

Club d’Elf is the brainchild of Boston-based bass guitarist Mike Rivard. It’s an improvisation-driven project (a jam band, if you will) whose floating membership includes some of Boston’s finest jazz and rock musicians: organist John Medeski, violinist Mat Maneri, guitarists David Tronzo and David “Fuze” Fiuczynski. Rivard’s old friend, the late Mark Sandman (Morphine) turned him on to Moroccan gnawa trance music years ago, and Rivard has been steering Club d’Elf more in that direction in recent years. This double album consists of two full-length CDs, each highlighting one of the band’s prevailing styles. "Electric Moroccoland" is a fusion of jazz, electronics, funk and space-rock with Moroccan folk music, particularly Gnawa. "So Below" features a similar musical approach, but the earthy, organic Moroccan element is more or less replaced by a sometimes-snarling jam-band style, heavily influenced by 70's electro-voodoo-funk.

***My picks from CD1 and CD2 : 5, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, 23 Ramzi Salti

Electric Moroccoland:
1. “Overture” is an intro song with haunting Arabic chanting and beats that have been psychedelicized.
2. “Sand (for Mark)” A jazzy tune, dedicated to Sandman, and the first song Rivard wrote for the sintir. The music is infused with a driving pulse, emphasizing the first beat of each measure.
3. “Ghir Khoudouni” New World style – The band plays homage to musical great Nass El Ghiwane on this world-jazz fusion track.
4. “Madrecita” is a psychedelic Moroccan folk jazz tune.
***5. “Sunshine of Your Love” The band really clicks into overdrive on this track with Arabic vocals by Hassan Hakmoun. This is where Rock meets Morocco.
6. “Scorpionic” a similarly mystical, restrained, but steady-tempo theme in "Scorpionic."
7. “Mogador” New World style is a nice fusion of jazz, funk and electronica.
8. “Bendir Done That” A jazzy tune that sounds a little dated, especially when you hear the repeated “Are you ready for this?”.
9. “Berber Song” Jazz – is a funky, groovy track with changing tempos and layers of sound along with beautiful singing in Arabic.
***10. “Sidi Rabi” an eerie song especially when oud maestro Brahim Fribgane sings his haunting “Sidi Rabi”.
11. “Ambib” The band pays homage to Morocco musician Haj Belaid on this jazzy, bluesy track.
***12. “Instar” An extended jam with a repetitive, melodic bass line and moderate tempo, sounds like it would exist more on a Pink Floyd album than on a world-jazz fusion album.
***13. “Rope on Fire” Bonus track cover of Morphine’s hypnotic song with a chaabi beat and featuring the unearthly vocals of Lotfi Tiken.
***My picks from CD1: 5, 10, 12, 13 Ramzi Salti
CD 2
14 (#1). “Gettin’ Squinty” is a track with throbbing funk infusing touches of the Grateful Dead.
15.(#2) “Middle Pillar” An extended psychedelic jam that is more inclined to exist on a Pink Floyd album than a world-jazz fusion album.
***16 (#3). “So Below” is the quite lengthy title with a trancy core based on some of the late Sandman’s last indie rock recordings.
17 (#4). “Salvia” a jazzy track that relies heavily on the electric guitar.
***18 (#5). “I Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down” is a mesmerizing cover of Fred McDowell’s song where blues meets southern rock.
19 (#6). “Trance Meeting pt. 1” This odd trance track was inspired by psychedelic explorer Terence McKenna and has his voice woven throughout it.
20 (#7). “Trance Meeting pt. 2” This RPM style, trance track is part 2 of the previous track and once again has the voice of McKenna interwoven.
21 (#8). “As Above” creates a fusion of ancient rhythms with the modern turntable and enhances it with a rousing piano.
22 (#9). “End of Firpo” mixes oud with electronic break-beats and creates a late-90’s drum and bass feel with dreamy chords.
23 (#10). “Pharaoh” is a great track with a dubbed-out and psychedelic blues tone. 11. “Propeller” is a jazzy bonus track that features the bass kalimba (or finger piano).
24 (#11) Propeller is a track that is dull and a bit noisy
25 (#12). “Taint Too” Sandman's bass can be heard playing on this bonus track.

***My picks from CD 2 by number: 16(#3), 18(#5), 23(#10) Ramzi Salti