'Spy Boy' is the debut album from jazz octet Brass Mask and it’s heavy on the horns. Contemporary jazz is not a scene I am especially familiar with but I quite like this. It looks like they all have their ‘chops’ so lets get on with it. The excellent cover design hints at the Mardi Gras influence. Opener Onnellinen takes us to downtown New Orleans with its percussive rhythm. Horns come in and out, drop out and swoop back and it sets the tone nicely. Shallow Water keeps us on the good foot with its insistent motif. This track is quite catchy in a Dave Brubeck kind of way. In fact the album could be viewed as two sides of vinyl, the first half being quite a free flowing groove and the flip taking us into more ‘jazzy’ territory.
I Thank You Jesus has obvious overtones to the spirituals. You can imagine this band leading the funeral procession right down the main street, all in their own moment of grief yet somehow together. Nighty Night moves along on a simple sloppy rhythm and the horns are all off kilter and then it stops. Francis P is more of the same except a bit more frenetic but still comes in under three minutes. Snorting cacophony comes to mind. Indian Red steals its melody from that song that goes “coming for to carry me home” and possibly even “saints go marching in” as it reaches a joyful climax.
We are into the second half now beginning with Rain Rain Rain. It’s more extended and therefore more room for solos. To these inexperienced ears the drums on this album are perhaps the least jazzy element. Sometimes they even overpower other work that is going on to the detriment of the piece. Perhaps the drums doff their cap a little too much to the contemporary in terms of production? Meniscus is an interlude. Wizards is the extended workout that follows and I like it a lot. It curls up like smoke from a lighted cigarette. It is a very atmospheric track that would not be out of place as part of a film score. Israfil starts with that jazzy ride symbol all on its own as the horns warm up in unison in the background. They come to prominence languorously and then we move on to the jagged lope of Indians which I have to say does not really work for me. Don’t Stand Up is another extended workout that references the Gambian and Senagalese musicians that Tom Challenger has played with. It speeds up and slows down driven by the snare drum. The album finishes with Zubr Dubr which is a short track full of lament.
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This album did not quite sparkle for me but I will be listening to it again. I would recommend it to fans of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble who might be looking for a way into contemporary jazz. Start here.
Babel Label online
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