Monday, February 9, 2015

Swung, Vol. 1 & 2, Bobby Jacobs, Pierre van der Linden, Niels van der Steenhoven, Menno Gootjes

When the music is very much grooving, who can resist? Not me. Swung Vol. 1 & 2 (In and Out of Focus 002CD) has that. It's a Northern European psychedelic rock fuse jazz power trio in two incarnations. Bobby Jacobs on electric bass seems to be in charge and he sets up some really nice jams with his very coherent playing. Pierre van der Linden is on drums, very hip in that advanced rock mode. And for the two CDs we have a different guitarist on each: Niels van der Steenhoven for Volume 1; Menno Gootjes for Volume 2. Both are very good. To me the slight edge goes to Gootjes, mostly because he reminds me of Terje Rypdal a bit, though in his own way.

So we get nine jams on Vol. 1, eight on Vol. 2. There are some simple but very effective compositional elements here and there. A bass riff or that and a guitar line. The emphasis is on spontaneous creativity and drive. And they get to it!

Bobby's bass playing is impressive. But van der Linden plays some excellent drums. And both guitarists have definite torque.

Now this is what jambands should be, but many times are not. Anyone who gets off on advanced rocking with a very together forward future-retro heft, this one will floor you!

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