photo: Kieran Doyle
The last time Israeli-born brass specialist Reut Regev was exploring the vibe with her R*Time band, we took notice and we liked it very much. Six years later she and her gonzo jazz troupe has finally followed up with a new album, so this time I know better what to expect. Which is to say, expect just about anything.
Keep Winning keeps the winning lineup of Regev, husband Igal Foni on drums, bassist Mark Peterson and electric guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly. The other thing they didn’t change is their inclination to go gonzo in pursuit of music that’s nominally jazz but is apt to set off in unforeseen directions. Regev wrote most of these tunes, contributed her voice in spots and played some flugabone (a flugelhorn/trombone hybrid) but the adrenaline and footloose attitude is totally a group thing.
The percolating pulse of “The Bumpy Way” is the mark of a band powered by ebullient energy, but the tightness of the rhythm section also means this band means to swing their punch right at the mark. There’s also a joy that pervades “Beware Of Sleeping Waters” and Regev stabs out her notes with an authoritative swagger.
Regev drops big chops to begin “The Last Way” and the staggered path the song takes puts her moxie on the level of Roswell Rudd. The title song is about the only time we hear them actually swing, and Foni’s loose ‘n’ limber drums keeping this thing snappy through Regev’s and Bourelly’s asides. Likewise, “With A Smiling Voice” is firmly underpinned by Foni’s calypso pulses and a sense that mischief is always lurking around the corner.
“Up In The Sky” is a seance of sorts to Regev’s deceased brother, who died when both were very young. The metaphysical aspect is tethered by Peterson’s electric bass. “Hard To Let Go” is almost a dirge, let by Bourelly’s heavy blues attack that Regev is able to match.
“Moovit” is creative in its pairing of Regev’s trombone with the fuzzy guitar of Bourelly. It’s a mix of rock and jazz that’s quite original. If “War Orphans” sounds like an Ornette Coleman song, that’s because it is, though the out-jazz giant never recorded it himself. R*Time does a splendid job taking the theme through different variations with some spunk, a contrast to Charlie Haden’s original solemn reading of the song.
Avant garde jazz could use more joy and wit like this, which is Reut Regev R*Time’s secret weapon for making you want to listen to them over and over. Keep Winning is now available on Enja Records.
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