Fresh out of the Island House Recordings stable, Emergency Group’s debut record is a dizzying display of cosmic jazz fusion that any electric Miles Davis fan would obsess over.
Hailing from Brooklyn, Emergency Group is made up of Robert Boston on keyboards, Dave Mandl on bass, Andreas Brade on drums and Jonathan Byerley on guitar. On this tape, they whip together two side-length pieces that combine the fuzzed-up funk of A Tribute to Jack Johnson-era Miles with the progressive juggernaut energy of Mahavishnu Orchestra and the motorik beat wanderings of Can.
Across the album you’ll find rushing streams of babbling keyboards sparring with jagged guitar lines over a tight whiplashing rhythm section. This is a versatile group that can lock into a deep groove and steer it into a multitude of directions on a dime without missing a beat. The band shifts from ambient dreamscape mode to a full-on breakneck charge, firing off fierce solos and spiraling down various side tangents with ease. Herbie Hancock and The Headhunters would be proud of the versatility and musicianship captured on this cassette.
As interstellar as a Hawkwind, as funky as On The Corner and as discordant as Soft Machine, Emergency Group is the kind of exploratory jazz band that any head could become a fan of. Click here to get your copy right now.
-KH
Record Crates United 