Improvisczario
- Jazz/Rock
- 2007
- Buy the CD
Reviewed by Mojo Flucke, PhD
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For Parliament fans looking for another "Flashlight," or for people who admired Worrell's work with the Talking Heads, it will likely be scary boring. But that's the thing about Worrell. He pushes the envelope, pulling all kinds of stylistic levers from old-skool 1960s jazz ("New Boss") to rump-thumpingly ferocious metallic funk ("Dirty") to a lightweight banjo groove ("Up in the Hills"). Of all people he could pick to feature as collaborators, he chose former Phish member Mike Gordon (developing said banjo groove) and Allmans/Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Haynes. Jam band fans who like their grooves gravitating progressively to the jazz side would do well to give this one a shot.
It's an eclectic mix. You gotta run with Worrell's line of thinking: Be open-minded, follow the groove where it takes you, and understand that while Parliament and Funkadelic were good times, it's 2007 and that stuff's long in the rear view. Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow happened back when 60 cents was still a jaw-dropping price for a gallon of gas, man. This guy's a working artist, and if you can't keep up, that's okay. Just don't expect him to whip out another 1970s-style retro-funk gem and put his name to it, unless he's getting paid as a sideman for some other project (see his work on the Super Bad soundtrack). This ain't the place for that. Bernie Worrell's moving forward, and you're either going with him, or you're gonna get left behind.
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