Cique

Review by Scott Yanow

Organist Jeff Jenkins and his group Cique bring back the sound and adventure of the early '70s on this CD. The music is very reminiscent of early fusion, with new grooves that would fit in very well with the groups of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Lifetime. Guest guitarist John Abercrombie is a major asset to this set although Cique by itself certainly sounds larger than a trio. Steve Holloway plays a bodhran (Ireland's native drum) on the final number, "Stealing Home." While the individual pieces do not have overly catchy melodies, the rhythms are infectious, the playing is top-notch, and Cique is creative within the framework of fusion without merely copying its musical influences. Releases of CDs such as Cique stand as proof that the much-maligned fusion music is still very much alive and has room for future growth.
- Scott Yanow

Joined: Aug 25, 2005
Posts: 196
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:21 am Post subject: Cique - featuring special guest John Abercrombie Reply with quote
Cique
With special guest John Abercrombie

Cique (sik) – (n) post retro trans genre hippy trippy spank a lank; (adj) really totally happening; (adj) not at all well.

Songs:
1) the opening
2) crakalakin
3) holland
4) sweet b
5) md time
6) guyei
7) rock walk
8 ) strutt
9) fillmore
10) stealing home

Personnel:
Jeff Jenkins – rhodes, organ, synths
Bijoux Barbosa – electric & acoustic basses
Matt Houston – drums
Steve Holloway – bodhran (one track)
Special guest – John Abercrombie – guitar (four tracks)

Review:
Cique (pronounced ‘sick’) is a strange name for such a healthy and organic fusion band. On the other hand, this music is so good, it’s sick. From the opening groove on this remarkable Cd, the music is as good as it gets in the post Miles, Golden Age of fusion. Jeff Jenkins, hailing from Denver Colorado, was a complete stranger to my ears until I heard this recording. Much to my delight, that’s no longer the case, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for his future projects.

While it’s not my place to tell someone how to appreciate music, I can offer some suggestions. In this case, I would suggest forgetting everything you know about music and fusion and just listen. Enjoy the vibe of the sound that hearkens back to the early days of fusion. After your neck recovers from the bouncing, then go back and analyze all you want. Just don’t miss the focal point of the vibe going on here. This music is great instrumental jazz played in the tradition of the fusion pioneers.

John Abercrombie, is well known to early fusion fans from his own great recordings, such as ‘Timeless’ (with Jan Hammer and Jack DeJohnette), and his contributions to other fusion masterpieces such as Billy Cobham’s early bands (most notably ‘Total Eclipse’ and ‘Shabazz’) to Horacee Arnold’s Hall of Fame recording ‘Tales of the Exonerated Flea’ (again, paired with Jan Hammer as the principle soloists, along with Rick Laird, Ralph Towner, and Sonny Fortune). John had this to say about his participation on Cique: “It was a great pleasure to play on Jeff’s new Cd. The tunes I appear on – particularly ‘MD Time’ and ‘Rock Walk’ – truly reflect the period of electric jazz I was involved in and it was a ball to revisit that era with Jeff and his great band”

I don’t think it’s possible for me to add a higher recommendation than that for buying this Cd. For fans that have read my reviews and know I appreciate the ‘Groove & Vibe’ oriented fusion as opposed to the ‘technical or shredding’ fusion most popular these days, I can only say I completely agree with John. Cique is fusion that changes the pace a little on you in a very pleasant way. It is a real treat to hear modern music that recalls the sonic elements best loved about the early days of fusion.

Cique puts a big exclamation point on the validity of fusion itself and why it became so popular. In addition to John’s incredible talent displayed in a setting where I personally appreciate it best, all the musicians carry their weight here, with no weak link. Jeff’s keyboard work is top shelf and Bijoux’s bass playing stands out as exceptional and really makes the ‘groove’ happen. Matt Houston on the other hand contributes beautifully to the sound without ‘over playing’ and musically supports the songs with complete sacrifice to the sound. He shows no signs of self-indulgence too often seen these days with the emergence of the usual ‘fusion pyrotechnics’. Another way to say all that is you can appreciate this music at any volume – it doesn’t need to blast and utilizes perfect control over the space and dynamics, as great fusion should.

Cique doesn’t try to break any boundaries, push any envelopes, or ‘show off’ in any way – it’s just great instrumental music. It demonstrates that while the great fusion bands had serious chops and speed to spare, fusion itself was never about speed. Want to hear some great fusion, buy this Cd.

Last thought: While I use the word fusion profusely, it’s purely due to laziness on my part to avoid typing out Jazz Rock Fusion. In addition, since there is no clear definition for this music, my use of fusion is more homage to that era than a description of the music.

By,

Rick Calic
Jazz Rock World
- jazzrockworld.com