Gutbucket, “Luton” from ‘Dance’ (2016): Something Else! video premiere

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gut·buck·et
[guht-buhk-it]

noun North American informal
modifier noun: gutbucket; modifier noun: gut-bucket
(of jazz or blues) raw and spirited in style.

If ever a band name so aptly described a band with just one word, this would be the one. You might not expect such music from such fresh-faced musicians but fact is, Gutbucket has been churning out an athletic, jagged and distorted brand of outlier jazz since 1999. Dance will be their sixth LP when it drops on January 29, 2016.

[S. Victor Aaron reviews Gutbucket’s 2011 release Flock]

Gutbucket has enjoyed a relatively stable lineup with founding members Ty Citerman (electric guitar) and Ken Thomson (alto sax) still on board, and Adam D. Gold on drums since 2007. Dance will see its first alteration since then: Pat Swoboda replaces Eric Rockwin on bass, playing an electric standup bass.

For the Dance leadoff track “Luton,” Swoboda playing that long, skinny thing is the first image out the gate in the music video we’re premiering below:

Directed by Florent Ghys, this cool vid accomplishes what must have been a maddening task to put visual motion to rhythmically difficult music. Like a sort of sped-up live action claymation, the band members move to the music, sometimes seen playing their instruments, sometimes not. Through the magic of cinematography and editing, Gutbucket show how their angular wallop can inspire dancing. And isn’t that the point of the album?

Oh, and the applause you hear at the end is the real reaction to this performance. “Luton” — like the rest of Dance — was recorded live at John Zorn’s The Stone club in NYC.


Jimmy Nelson