Out to Lunch: Excuse Me...

The year is off to a healthy start; After listening to Rudder's debut release a short while ago, I expected some time before another killer album from an NYC startup would grace my desk. Yet here I am, spinning Out To Lunch's Excuse Me While I Do the Boogaloo (Accurate Records), and I have nothing but praise.

As some will garner from the title, expect ample influence from the Godfather of Soul on this disc, but the inspiration doesn't stop there. Citing contemporaries such as Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Medeski Martin & Wood, the Jazz Mandolin Project and Club D'Elf, OTL blends soul, funk, electronic, jazz, dub and reggae into a wholly organic, unforced amalgam. OTL had both my full attention and high expectations even before my first listen; Jamie Masefield and his Mandolin Project developed an entirely novel approach to jazz, and anyone willing to take a page from his book will inevitably take the genre to new places.

Out to Lunch is David Levy (bass clarinet, alto sax, flute, electronics), Josiah Woodson (trumpet, flute), Petr Cancura (tenor/soprano sax, clarinet), Eric Lane (keys), Adam Clark (drums), Matt Wigton (bass), Danny Weller (bass) and Kris Smith (electronic production). The crew met and formed at the esteemed New England Conservatory of Music. Front man David Levy, who also co-wrote and produced the album, says of his compositional aspirations on Excuse Me, "The ultimate goal is to stimulate the listener both viscerally and intellectually. We need not ponder the rhythmic grooves of a genre such as funk: they compel us to move. Improvisation, on the other hand, demands reflection for full appreciation of its complexity. Ideally the synergy of these seemingly opposing features can be used in such a way as to buttress each other, augmenting the effect that each possesses."

Excuse Me kicks off with "The Good Doctor," a solid funk-groove track, replete with classic ‘James Brown' horn shots. The second track, which flows seamlessly from the first, surprises the listener with a distinct house beat and an ethereal flute solo. The discrepancy in style caught me off guard, but didn't feel at all unnatural. The first six tracks all transition similarly, finally pausing before "Shmuv Shuffle," a slow burner that eventually builds into a tight horn jam. The entire disc is brimming with great tunes, but the ones getting the most love from my stereo are "Maudlin's Eleven," which sounds like Bill Frisell's take on Dark Side of the Moon, "When You Hear the Music," a shorter piece reminiscent of Miles Davis' "White," and "Jerome the Negligent Nanny," which explores a number of lively, eerie soundscapes. The honest, improvised feel of "Jerome" captures the heart of Excuse Me.

Out to Lunch borrows their moniker from the defining 1964 Blue Note album of the same name by Eric Dolphy. The greatest resemblance is apparent on the title track of Dolphy's album, which clearly influenced the making of Excuse Me. And while OTL has some distance to go before reaching the distinguished plane of Dolphy, they did him great justice with their debut release, which is less free jazz and more funk but shares a similar spirit. If they continue to play with the quality displayed on Excuse Me, Out to Lunch will be back to work in no time.

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