Year of the Snake

by Revolutionary Snake Ensemble

Overview

On Year of the Snake, the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble met a tough challenge: to create jazz with roots in the jovial New Orleans brass band tradition, but with more than enough modern twists to make it sound fresh and original, and certainly not at all revivalist. It's not just that the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble mix original material and eclectic cover choices, including "Iko Iko," Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa," James Brown's "Soul Power," and Sun Ra's "A Call for All Demons." It's also how they mix in a lot of contemporary soul and funk influences, particularly in some of Aaron Bellamy's popping electric basslines, almost as if they're as influenced by the Meters as Crescent City jazz. There are also some almost klezmer and tango-like lines on some of the less avowedly New Orleans-grounded work, and a healthy sense of irreverent joie de vivre in the polyphonic grooves, though "Parade" is along the lines of what you might see a struttin' band play in an actual New Orleans parade. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	11/11/2003
Label:	INNOVA RECORDS
UPC:	0726708659929

Tracks

1. Parade
2. Year of the Snake
3. Soul Makossa
4. Soul Power
5. A Call for All Demons
6. Central Square
7. Some Nerve
8. El Choclo
9. Iko Iko/Aicho
10. I Got It

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble   Primary Artist
Derek VanBeever   Bass (Acoustic)
Aaron Bellamy   Bass (Electric)
Scott Getchell   Flugelhorn,Trumpet
Jon Fraser   Trumpet
Karen Aqua   Percussion,Congas
Lennie Peterson   Trombone
Eric Paull   Drums
Mickey Bones   Drums (Snare),Percussion
Mark Caughill   Sax (Tenor)
Ethan Meyer   Drums
Bob Pilkington   Trombone
Ken Field   Percussion,Sax (Alto)
Larry Dersch   Percussion
Charlie Kohlhase   Sax (Baritone)
Brian Thomas   Trombone

Technical Credits

Derek VanBeever   Composer
Andy Pinkham   Engineer,Mixing
Claire Folger   Photography
Tony Gillis   Mastering
Angel Villoldo   Composer
Lennie Peterson   Composer
Sun Ra   Composer
Public Domain   Composer
John Scofield   Composer
Manu Dibango   Composer
Enrique Santos Discepolo   Composer
Eric Paull   Composer
Bob Pilkington   Composer
Ken Field   Composer,Producer
Chris Strouth   Executive Producer
James "Sugar Boy" Crawford   Composer
James Brown   Composer
Scott Billington   Liner Notes