You Look Like You Could Use a Healthy Dose of JOOSE!
Have you tried Joose yet? This is no “from concentrate” or watered-down stuff; this is 100% unadulterated fresh-squeezed. The best news is that Joose will be more available now, starting with this Friday (March 24th) at Skipper’s Smokehouse; Joose will open for Come Back Alice performing the Allman Brothers.
Joose (also know as Joose-FL) arose as an outlet for some very talented individuals to get together to play straight-up ’70s-style jazz fusion. They played a couple of shows, including the first night of Great Outdoors Jam. We first caught up with them on that amazing triple-bill last summer with Holey Miss Moley performing P-Funk and Christian Ryan’s Garage: a Tribute to Frank Zappa.
So just who are these guys? Christian Ryan is the man of a thousand horns and a thousand bands, or so it seems. He plays alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flute and percussion. He is a regular member of the aforementioned Holey Miss Moley, Leisure Chief, and Bengali 600 and performs with at least a dozen other groups. Apparently, he sleeps at some point.
Yral ‘datdudeondrums’ Morris is the drum power behind the gypsy swamp funk machine Come Back Alice. Until recently he also played with Holey Miss Moley when schedules permitted. Jimmy “Jimmy Jams” Rector designed their original poster and became a member of the band in August, complementing Morris with his percussion and writing for the band as well. Rector is a festival promoter (Foothills Fest in Missouri) and an outstanding graphic artist; his company is acceptedperspective. He is a member of Come Back Alice and has performed with many other groups.
The other half of the band are also members of Ajeva. Taylor Gilchrist (bass) is one of the founders of the band, and he was superb filling in with Come Back Alice at Gasparilla Music Festival; he will also play with CBA again this Friday. When Ajeva expanded from a quartet to a sextet, they brought in a young man whose keyboard wizardry we are only beginning to appreciate: Mark Mayea. He has subbed with Holey Miss Moley and played with Come Back Alice at Hometeam New Year’s Rally 2015 when they covered Song Remains the Same. He also played with CBA at Gasparilla and will pull double-duty Friday.
The band originally included a female vocalist, but that plan reverted to the original quartet plus Rector. This configuration crushed two early-morning sets at Hometeam 2016, including a tremendous sit-in one day by Joe Marcinek on guitar. So it was perhaps inevitable that a jazz fusion band would seek out a guitar player, and we now discover that Joose has added Justino Lee Walker, the leader of another dynamite fusion band, Justino and the Difference. This is the dictionary definition of a marriage made in heaven.
Joose at Skipper’s Smokehouse August 27, 2016:
[We did not post a review for this show. I know, right?] Joose covered Thrust, the 1974 classic by Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters. Those who were around during the fusion ’70s will verify: this was spot-on incredible. They nailed every track on that album (“Palm Grease,” “Actual Proof,” “Butterfly” and “Spank-a-Lee”) and encored with “Sly” from Headhunters. Mind blown.
Joose at Hometeam New Year’s Rally December 31, 2016:
Those few who rallied at 10:30 AM were treated to one of the best sets of the entire fest from the quartet Joose. They had played at Great Outdoors Jam, but I missed that one. I finally saw them on the triple bill with Holey Miss Moley doing P-Funk and Christian Ryan’s Garage: A Tribute to Frank Zappa. At that show, Joose played Thrust, the second album by Herbie Hancock and the headhunters, and it was stunning.
This early morning show was even better. Joose are Christian Ryan, saxes and flute; Mark Mayea, keyboards; Taylor Gilchrist, bass; Jimmy Rector, percussion; and Yral ‘datdudeondrums’ Morris. Best playing I have heard from both Mayea and Gilchrist (and I’ve heard a lot), and most intricate jazzy work from Morris. And Ryan was in superb form as well.
Flute and synths helped introduce a Herbie tune, followed by “Flu the Coop” (Lettuce). Next up was an original that was very Chick Corea-like. Ryan started on flute, then switched to alto. Mayea was all over the clavinet, and he followed Ryan’s alto solo with a fine electric piano solo of his own. It was gorgeous. The next tune featured Hammond B3 (Mayea’s synths mimicked the clavinet and B3 perfectly) and tenor sax.
Gilchrist and Morris were so deep in the pocket that you just had to submit; I certainly did. Then Frank Wosar of Brown Bag Brass Band (next band up) brought his trombone to the mix, and they blew out a really hot tune. Ryan settled things back with a ballad that was “a spin on a tune by Kenny Garrett.”
If all that were not enough, then Joe Marcinek, an artist at large, joined the quartet. Ryan had played with him before, so I knew this was going to be, as we like to say, THE SHIT. Marcinek’s new album Slink is a funk jazz delight. With that, they played “Hyperbole,” an earlier tune of Marcinek’s, before nailing “George Washington,” which I shall declare to be his signature tune. Simply brilliant.
Joose at Hometeam New Year’s Rally January 1, 2017:
The early-morning delight again was Joose playing under the parachute in the morning sun. After a short ballad called “Strength,” the quartet lit into “Butterfly,” one of the tunes the band had performed in their Thrust tribute. The last time, they had played the tune fairly straight up. This time, they made it their own. Each band member was a star. Ryan had a great long alto solo first, followed by Mayea with a magical solo of his own. Gilchrist’s solo was excellent, but his playing underneath the tune was even more impressive — again, best two performances I have heard from him. And Morris also had the magic touch on drums. Somebody better have recorded these sets!
They followed with another Thrust tune, “Spank-A-Lee,” a snappy tune with a flute intro before Ryan switched to tenor. And the set peaked again as Mayea introduced “Spain” with Ryan on flute. Gilchrist had a remarkable solo, and then Mayea as well on electric piano. Morris’ playing on the rims was brilliant. They closed out the set with two great funky songs: “’80s Cop Show” (Tony Roberts) and “Black Superhero Song” (Erimaj).
About this Friday’s performance at Skipper’s, Mark Mayea fills us in:
I am very proud to announce that my project JOOSE – FL will be performing again. I know that, since we’ve been in the practice room, the first album of music is coming closer to a finish. In addition, since our addition of Justino Lee Walker on guitar, we are making enormous strides towards the appropriately-titled “Cinematic Jazz Fusion.” We encourage you to come and experience the magic and power of our language.
In addition to the show this Friday, two more are slated, with more in the offing:
3.24 – Skipper’s Smokehouse w/ Come Back Alice | Tampa
4.26 – Ringside Cafe (Umphrey’s McGee/ BIG Something Afterparty) | St. Petersburg
5.18-5.20 – Orange Blossom Jamboree | Brooksville
Slake your thirst with the real thing: J O O S E !