DISCONCERTO RUNE 46 |
Chainsaw Jazz were an instrumental band that featured the drumming of ex-Muffin Paul Sears, with strong contributions on guitar, violin/electric mandolin, sax, and bass. They certainly had their own compositional sound, but for reference points you might describe them as a combination of Brand X and Dr. Nerve, with a bit of Arti E Mestieri and (not surprisingly) The Muffins tossed in. "Although DisConcerto was
Chainsaw Jazz's sole album, it helped defined the sound of their label
Cuneiform Records (at least one end of their spectrum). The ex-Muffins
drummer Paul Sears and his acolytes deliver very complex and ultra-fast
progressive-oriented instrumental tunes in the three to five minutes
range, an aesthetic other Cuneiform bands like Forever Einstein and
Rattlemouth have adopted. The difference resides in the fact that
Chainsaw Jazz is funkier and jazzier, thus getting closer to the spirit
of Frank Zappa's music than any of their label mates (his influence is
best heard on "Mad Whiskey Bitch"). Mark Gilbert often overdubs his sax
parts (Christian Nagle's guitar often doubles him too), giving the
impression of a jazz brass section. The guitar is crunchy and isn't
scared of sounding heavy (as on "Momentary Discomfort"), while the
violin's phrasing of Ed Maguire betrays classical training. The music
is close to Amsterdam's avant-rock band Blast, minus the typical
Holland-esque silliness and the more chamber rock side of the band,
plus a good dose of American humor and strong fusion jazz influence.
Due to Chainsaw Jazz's quick disappearance, this album has been
overlooked, but it has much to offer to avant-prog fans." – AllMusic "This is a new music fusion revelling on a plane unto itself...few "jazz" (and I use the term loosely) ensembles achieve such a potent level of emotional and sonic clarity." - The Daily Californian
|