By: Joe Lang
It was to my surprise that the Nomad contained no more than 20 people when I showed up for the Moveable Feast show just after 9 p.m. As a part of the 89.3 The Current Wednesday night jazz series, I’d thought the venue would be packed, particularly for a paltry $3 cover. I’d heard so much about the individual members of the fusion supergroup Moveable Feast, especially from a City Pages review that described the band as the “best electro/jazz/funk/hip hop hybrid [containing] the smartest elements of 70s funk with contemporary dance floor acumen,” that I had to check them out.
The band started off a bit sluggish and without introduction, but by the second song, they’d kicked into gear. Tommy Barbarella was standing for much of his heated Fender Rhodes electric piano solos, bassist Jeff Bailey was swaying back and forth, Kevin Washington was pounding the shit out of his snare, and Peter Vircks switched between groovin’ and doing a saxophonist/Joe Cocker convulsion move as he took his solos.
The band played two sets, starting at 9:30 and ending just after midnight, that drew from their self-titled debut album and 2002’s follow-up, Directions. Throughout the night one could hear echoes of electric jazz dating back to Miles’ Bitches Brew, the off-kilter electricity of Chick Corea at the end of the 60s, the moogy synth runs at the peak of Return to Forever (Corea's jazz-rock fusion band of the 70s), the rich samba bass/synth/sax of Weather Report, and the Rhodes/wah-wah groove of the Headhunters.
The highlights of both sets came mostly from the group’s second album. “Sudden Moves,” the lead track off of Directions and one of the most engaging on the album, had the most dramatic change from its recorded form. In the studio, Vircks’ sax work sounds a little smooth-jazzy; at the Nomad, Barbaletto played a brooding intro and Virck’s playing was rougher, resulting in a less polished version but a more intense mood.
Throughout the set each member played solos unaccompanied. Barbaletto would often lead into pieces with Rhodes excursions into the improvisational unknown, reminiscent of mid-70s Chick Corea. In one of his solos, Jeff Bailey played lightning fast triplets and slid down the neck of hi bass with his right palm, showing the influence of Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius. In the second set, Washington hammered his kit with such intensity that the other members of the band were laughing and shaking their heads. “Conversations,” with its samba like groove, had the band sounding like Black Market-era Weather Report with the sax/synth interplay of Vircks and Barbarella. “Two Things One,” had the band in its tightest mode, switching back and forth between slow dissonant groove, to straight ahead jazz.
Though Moveable Feast songs are not necessarily packed with "hooks" or catchy melodies, the sound seems to blend into a wonderful fusion texture that is accentuated by the superb caliber of musicianship from each of the members. For electric jazz fans, the band is definitely worth checking out. According to their website, they are in the process of preparing another album, so with that release there should be ample opportunity.
Location Info:
Nomad World Pub
Artist Info: Moveable Feast
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