|
 There’s
already rumbling that this “jam band” thing has become just another label like
“independent” or “alternative” for big record companies to name new divisions
after. In many ways I think those critics are wrong BUT it is rapidly becoming
an easy catchphrase for bands themselves, a shorthand that replaces the hard,
dirty work of creating an individual musical identity. Pile on enough seemingly
complex solos and slap a "jam" here and there in press releases and song titles
and voila, you’re in! This implies a certain cynical attitude towards
fans of this burgeoning genre, an eclectic field where live performance and
improvisation supercede any other specifics.
All of which brings us to JPM's
Drum & Bass Society. If you can get past the reggaefied Men At Work cover
(“Down Under”) that opens Volume 1, you’ll still find yourself in the ‘80s,
except not the pop end (there’s more of that later with equally ill-conceived
Specials and Fixx interpretations). This is the ultra-clean, too-skilled-for-their-own-good
instrumental noodling of Berklee
College of Music technocrats. Whether or not these Society members actually
attended that Boston institution is irrelevant; the sound they make is the same,
too much head and not enough heart, scales over soul, processed and pressed
free of any wrinkles. While Phish
isn’t my favorite band (much respect, not much enthusiasm) I felt wistful for
their original of “Heavy Things” hearing this version, which feels like an attempt
to attract that band’s audience, especially when coupled with their own material
like “Jamband Express” and “Groove Messenger (The Story of Jazztronica),” titles
that tell you a lot about their mushy sound before you ever hear a note. The
ethnic exoticizing of “Rain Dance” and the more quiet storm ambient moments
remind one of the Private Music new age records that claimed Zappa alumni Patrick
O’Hearn and Eddie Jobson. Like JPM and his fellow players, they wanted to put
all their skill, all their hours of practice and sweat and second chairing out
there in the spotlight for a change. Except not everyone gets a curtain call
and not all songs need to be sung.
Dennis Cook
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