| It's the rare musician that can pull off even the most miniscule amount of cross-generational influence. It's an even rarer one that can team up with his progeny to produce a genre-rattling send-up certain to confound jazz purists into a state of confused drooling as they attempt to figure out where exactly it fits in with his previous work. Judging from Home, the first recording of Dennis Gonzalez's family-focused band Yells At Eels, Gonzalez is one of those rare birds - moving beyond the confines of "jazz" to create a truly hip and thought-provoking sound that's as 21st century as the dot.com downfall.
Throughout the disc, the elder Gonzalez's bluesy trumpet and tasteful keyboards mesh perfectly with the solid grooves laid down by his sons Aaron (bass) and Stefan (drums). In fact, the young rhythm section constructs moods so expansive that they allow their father to transform the simplest flatted fifths into pentatonic symphonies, particularly on the "Document" tributes to his fellow trumpet iconoclasts (Leo Smith and Toshinori Kondo). But not only do Aaron and Stefan prove how well-listened they are with the touches of distorted bass and occasionally trip-hop inspired beats, they also present themselves as budding technical geniuses - especially in the sophisticated drum introduction to the title track and the sizzling upright bass solo that sets the pace for "Ganesha The Spy." Also noteworthy are the contributions of saxophonist Tim Green, who guests on three of the disc's tracks. Green's melodic yet fiery tone adds great depth to the sample-heavy "Nil's Petter's Foxtrot" and the quirky barnburner "Who You Gonna Call?" - casting the reedsman as a soulful wild card in an already loaded hand.
Dennis Gonzalez has spoken candidly of having grown tired with "jazz" as we know it today - fortunately he and his family are taking matters into their own hands by suggesting an entire map's worth of new directions for the music to take. |
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