Pianist Lawrence Sieberth never met a musical style he didn’t like or to which he couldn’t add his own personal stamp. In this case, the prolific composer turns his focus to what he calls “very jazztronic fusion.” In other words, fusing many styles and worldly influences into a fresh musical gumbo. On more than a few moments, you’d swear you’re listening to a 21st century edition of Weather Report.
Sieberth plays electric keyboards throughout this quintet-plus session as his band digs into seven originals. The core band includes guitarist Danny Abel, saxophonist Brad Walker, bassist Brian Quezergue and drummer Doug Belote. A few guests thicken the sound on various tracks.
VooDooTek is very different from the leader’s last two projects, 2019’s jazz quartet session An Evening in Paris and last year’s classical-tinged Musique Visuelle (Music for Piano Trio and Orchestra).
The frenetic rhythm of the opening track, “Kinetic #8,” sets up a teasing jam-band adventure for the band, augmented by a second saxophonist, Miles Berry. Belote’s rhythm here is powerful. This tune is the only one revisited from An Evening in Paris. This version is four minutes longer and much more energetic.
Able’s guitar, Quezergue’s robust bass line, and the leader’s keyboards create a Middle Eastern tinge on “Bug Dance.” Close your eyes, listen close and imagine strolling through a Turkish bazaar, as belly dancers ply their artful craft inside a neighboring café where exotic sounds waft into the street. It all sets up the plaintive wail of Brad Walker’s soprano sax.
The bouncy Caribbean vibe of “Hallelujahjah” showcases Quezergue on bass, with Sieberth’s electric keyboard weaving through the beat. It combines a Jamaican dance flavor with a bit of a Joe Zawinul/Weather Report feel at times, triggering Walker’s intense alto sax solo. The longer the song goes, the more the groove intensifies. Percussionist Pedro Segundo joins the band here, on “Bug Dance” and the finale.
Sieberth’s gorgeous synth coloring sets the tone on “Scarlet River.” The project’s lone ballad inserts a very different vibe at the session’s midpoint. Walker’s laid-back soprano sax solo and Able’s gentler approach on guitar accentuate its wistful, pensive melody. The funky follower, “Spike,” is bolstered as two more horn players, saxophonist Berry and Lettuce trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom join the adventure. Able contributes another extended, searing guitar solo.
Sieberth started writing the tune “Draccat” back in the 1980s when fusion was the rage. He said the resulting piece was inspired by a fictitious mythological character. With this project, he had the right musicians to interpret the story behind the notes. Able’s guitar sets its intense tone as the band explores the simple yet powerful vamp-like repetitive melody. Walker shifts to tenor sax for this one, and Mike Dillon adds texture with tabla and percussion. The result is layered with interplay and deep emotion.
The strutting, makes-you-wanna-dance, closer “Arc de Triomphe” combines a bit of island flavor and New Orleans’ musical joy highlighted by Walker’s tenor sax and the leader’s funky keyboard solo. Together, the quintet members put a vibrant exclamation point on Sieberth’s latest musical triumph.
