I’m usually a stickler on spelling, and the word “new”seems like a gimme. Alas, I am old enough to actually give a shit about the craft but realize that it makes me…. well, old. Never heard of Nu Music, but they seem young enough to disregard the institution known as spelling. The sextet is Ethan Kagan on drums, Hank Languish on laptop, Emmanuel Michael on guitar, Esteban Castro on piano, Nick Joz on bass, and special guest Steph Clement on trumpet. They appear to be NY based, and the music is rooted in jazz with nods to techno and sample culture. The first tune starts with an absolutely feral solo from Castro who toggles between piano and Wurlitzer. In comes Languish, a hooded figure who had his back to the audience. Computer swoops and squiggles color the rest of the ensemble. Kagan seems to drive the train from behind the kit, wearing a skirt and a Minnie/mickey T-shirt, he seemed to exude Nu-ness. Joz was skilled on standup bass, complementing Kagan’s attack. Michael and Clement are less flashy, but critical pieces to the overall sound. The second long form piece had Languish inserting fragments of “I Fall in Love too Easily” the Chet Baker standard. The group rallied around the sound collage, a modern take on jazz. The final piece riffed on Nat King Cole’s rendition of “LushLife”. The notion of taking old standards, cutting and pasting them in to modern compositions was novel and compelling.
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