A subset of Midwestern music aficionados between the ages of 35 and 65 know that much of the most exciting jazz of the 1990s and early 2000s was performed in grimy rock clubs. Removed from the stifling constraints of jazz purists and advocacy organizations, bands like Tulsa’s Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Kansas City’s Malachy Papers developed new tactics in a vibrant underground scene.
Somethin’ to Relax With, the latest release by Nolatet, is a mature variant of the pivotal movement. The band consists of Jacob Fred Odyssey’s Brian Haas, Malachy Papers’ Mike Dillon and the New Orleans stalwarts James Singleton and Johnny Vidacovich.
Recorded live in Tulsa, the album is an extension of Haas’ work with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and is a logical progression in Dillon’s adventurous career. Bolstered by the swinging bassist and drummer from the Big Easy, Haas and Dillon balance ornery defiance with deep-seated fluency in jazz traditions.
All six selections are alternately pensive and playful. Nolatet’s highbrow fun brings a disruptive punk sensibility to sounds ordinarily associated with Bobby Hutcherson and Thelonious Monk. Somethin’ to relax with? Sort of. Somethin’ to party with at a safe distance from conventional jazz culture? Definitely.