From the Desk of Sean McPherson:
Mischief is an under appreciated emotion to conjure in music. Blues music does mischief great, maybe the best. Mischievous jazz is a close second and “DONKEY” from The Early Planets’ debut record captures that for me. From note one, you can tell that all three players are listening, reactive and most importantly…kind of punchy. Guitarist/leader and author of the tune, Mike Wolter jumps into your ears with this counterpoint-y Scofield-esque chord melody that moves in three and a half directions at once. When Wolter starts to solo, he opens with a very subtle note off of the melody, seeming to egg on the other players to get skeletal with their relationship to the tune. Wolter’s solo methodically climbs to higher intensity with mischievous twists and turns from the rhythm section throughout, including some awesome choked cymbals and errant snare flourishes from drummer Cory Healy. As a fellow bass player, I would like to tell Cody McKinney that he has no right to have an electric bass sound that woody and deep. Most players have to cart around $15,000 of maple and spruce to get this sound and you’re doing with a semi-hollow body in a gig bag. I’m not happy about it Cody, and I’m taking that bass next time I see you.
Hot New Local Singles highlights new, local songs. Minnesota has a lot of great jazz, funk, soul, and jazz- adjacent music. Jazz88 is highlighting what is fresh.
Listen to “Donkey” here: https://shiftingparadigmrecords.bandcamp.com/track/donkey
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