Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - Winter Clothes
(Watch the video short by Tae Meyulks)
JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY
Lil Tae Rides Again
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey re-awakens on April 8 with Lil Tae Rides Again, their most idiosyncratic album yet. The new recording--the band's fourth on HYENA Records and first studio effort in three years--will surprise even those predisposed to JFJO's mercurial nature. Electronic music eccentric Tae Meyulks was called upon to produce. He and JFJO tracked, arranged, mixed and mastered the album at his Tulsa studio over the course of 2007. Additionally during this period, founding members Brian Haas and Reed Mathis amicably parted ways with longtime drummer Jason Smart, filling the slot with 22-year old Josh Raymer. The 11 tracks on Lil Tae Rides Again find the Tulsa-based trio sculpting ambient soundscapes characterized by dreamlike atmospherics, minimalist melodies and subliminally diametrical themes.
"The entire record was made in a 100-plus year old warehouse in the oldest part of Tulsa called The Bricks. The warehouse itself is completely stuck in time and is an eerie museum of random artifacts dating back to the early 1900s. Just walking into this space fills you with a strange feeling of paranormal activity. The walls speak of many lives come and gone," explains Haas. "All of these unique factors influenced the music. Reed, Josh and I had been listening to Boards of Canada, Panda Bear, Brian Eno, Susumu Yokota, things like that. Tae Meyulks has an immense interest in the psychedelic effects of sleep deprivation. He'd stay up for days at a time operating this difficult music software in various altered-states, while deconstructing and reassembling what we'd recorded."
Lil Tae Rides Again opens with Reed Mathis’ composition "Autumnal." An acoustic guitar is juxtaposed by a distant cry from deep within the mix. It's as if an intentional attempt is made to strike at something deep within the listener’s psyche. Reverb-drenched beats emerge. Layers of sound reveal a melody only to melt away as instantly as they’re revealed. The aptly-titled "Tether Ball Truimph" loops a keyboard figure that spins clockwise to counterclockwise in a rush of electronic madness. The haunting aural fog of "Carpool" suggests something post-apocalyptic. Its sorrow rises from the ashes in the form of "Tae's Parade," an anthem that encapsulates the reoccurring dichotomy between darkness and light. The JFJO perennial "Santiago" is reprised as dreamy electronica offering vistas of melodic clarity. But in the pattern of stark contempt, "Waking The Reluctant Genius" descends into a numb narcotic haze. A hint of a meandering melodica opens "Scuffle In The Hallway" where disfigured human voices are set against a chorus of handclaps. JFJO concludes with Brian Haas’ "Goodnight Ollie," a seven minute-plus opus of shear psychedelic splendor.
After finishing 2006 with two sold out shows at The Blue Note in New York City, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey went on hiatus. They appeared for only a handful of select tour dates and summer festivals in 2007. Rumors circulated among fans regarding the trio's decision to curtail its touring schedule. Brian Haas virtually disappeared from the national music scene. Reed Mathis, on the other hand, was ubiquitous, playing bass with the likes of Steve Kimock, Marco Benevento and The Greyboy Allstars. Internally, however, JFJO's future was never in question. Haas and Mathis simply took the band underground to create music on their own terms, in their own universe and on their own timetable.
"This was an experience we needed to have. Tae Meyulks completely took us through the looking glass. We were almost like helpless little babies in his arms," states Mathis. "From the first day, right up until the record was done, I can honestly say I had absolutely no idea what the result would sound like. I thought I'd been through a process of discovery before, but this was a whole other thing. Because of that, we're more proud of it than anything we've ever done."
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey vows to maintain a higher profile in 2008. A West Coast tour to coincide with the release of Lil Tae Rides Again is scheduled for April. It will culminate with a handful of performances in New Orleans during Jazzfest. Tours of the Midwest, East Coast and Europe are in the works for later in the year. Additionally, JFJO are already planning the follow-up to Lil Tae Rides Again, which will be produced by Reed Mathis.
JFJO's previous studio album, the critically-acclaimed, Sameness of Difference, was produced by the late record producer Joel Dorn. MOJO Magazine called it, "delicious postmodern jazzitude." Tracked during one marathon session in New York City, the band offered a mix of original compositions and visceral interpretations of songs by The Flaming Lips, Brian Wilson and Bjork among others. In 2006, JFJO released the digital exclusive collection, Tomorrow We'll Know Today, which featured "live" tracks hand-selected by the band.
As has been their way since first forming over 14 years ago, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey defines themselves through a constant state of re-imagining their creative horizons. The beauty in JFJO's self-definition is that they are utterly un-definable. Lil Tae Rides Again, but better still, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey rides again.
