by S. Victor Aaron
Here’s another CD of advanced jazz led by its composing drummer, this time Mike Pride. One thing I’ve found with drummer-led combos, is that drummers have a natural tendency toward democracy in a band, and his Bacteria To Boys (Darius Jones, alto sax; Peter Bitenc, bass; Alexis Marcelo, piano) share the load equitably and logically. The exceptional drummer-leaders find a way to bolster the songs and the guys in front of him without having to resort to ham-handed tactics, and Pride, a veteran of groups led by as diverse a lot as John Zorn to the Boredoms to Chinese pop sensation Priscilla Chan, never does. Within these ten tracks, nine composed by Pride, are modern jazz numbers that are sometimes advanced bop and sometime flat out whack jazz, but wherever it lands doesn’t seem to matter much to the players. From the sizzling 2/4 ruckus of the title tune to the Bill Evans mood of “Kancamagus,” there’s something completely distinctive and sophisticated about each song. The curiously titled “Reese Witherspoon” is a rhythmic clinic even though Pride takes no solos: he is seemingly directing every little turn—of which there are plenty—from behind his drum kit. Betweenwhile is a well-executed performance of complexity made to sound simpler than it really is.
- Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop, “When I Fall” (2024): Video premiere - March 15, 2024
- Disaster Pony,“Dead Neon & The Noon Sun” from ‘Disaster Pony’ (2024): Video premiere - February 27, 2024
- Christopher Hoffman, “Farewell Forever” from ‘Vision Is The Identity’ (2024): Streaming premiere - February 19, 2024
