Scientific Map: Power to the Babies (CD) Imaginary Chicago Records 2008

Description: Produced by acclaimed house/electronica artist Anthony Nicholson, the debut recording by Chicago genre-busters Scientific Map is a bold statement of the New Chicago Sound. Moving between Afrobeat, funk, fusion, hip hop, new groove, nu-jazz, psychedelia and R&B, Power to the Babies could only have been recorded in Chicago. Its stylistic fluency is a result of the varied artistic demands placed on musicians in such a culturally diverse city. Bandleader/guitarist Matt Hudson describes the musical vision of the new album: "We're now experiencing the end of genre. Information from around the world is travelling to us so quickly that we're constantly exposed to new cultural and musical ideas. Musicians can't help but be influenced by this. If they're open-minded enough, the result is a cohesive, genreless sound that is fresh and new." Throughout the album, Matt Hudson's playing demonstrates an innovative and nuanced re-imagining of jazz guitar that is influenced as much by Wes Montgomery as by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. This stylistic diversity is reflected in the range of guest artists featured throughout, including rock'n'roll saxophonist Aaron Getsug (Hi-Fi & the Roadburners) and Pittsburgh R&B vocalist Gene Stovall. Tracklist 1. Day Dream Johnny (5:06) 2. Open Kimono (2:36) 3. Wisefoot (6:34) 4. Merlin's Bride (4:06) 5. Power to the Babies (6:44) 6. Read with Your Eyes (5:38) 7. Endure a Dark Age (4:08) 8. Port de Patois (5:22) 9. Carpenters in Forehead (6:02) 10. For Fear Disappear (Cheese Brothers Remix) (4:40) All About Jazz: Power to the Babies brings together funk, house and jazz influences to produce an album that grooves hard with a healthy dose of creative improvisation. The quartet of Will Baggett (bass), Dave Holloway (keys), Matt Hudson (guitar) and Anthony Reid (drums) lay down some seriously funky grooves on every track with a tasteful amount of jazz fusion soloing thrown in for good measure. Melding all of these genres together, Power to the Babies is a cornucopia of groove and melody that is both danceable and intellectually stimulating at the same time. Cadence: Straight-ahead dancing funk with a beat that just won't quit. The ten tracks, culled from a year's worth of sessions, are full of grooving bass lines, fatback drums, hip key board textures, R'n'B-flavored guitar, plus the occasional guest horn solo. Tightly performed and full of spirit. Illinois Entertainer: Guitarist Matt Hudson leads Scientific Map through an adventurous collection of songs that deftly combine jazz fusion and techno on the band's debut, Power to the Babies. Most of these tracks are instrumental, and even the vocals on the haunting "Merlin's Bride" and futuristic "Carpenters in Forehead" flow through the arrangements as opposed to leading them. Likewise Hudson's guitar playing (most prominent on "Port de Patois") melds perfectly with the talents of the other musicians. Dusty Groove: A great collaboration between Matt Hudson and Anthony Nicholson – underground grooves from the current Chicago scene, served up with even more cosmic elements than Nicholson's better-known work! The beats are often quite raw and acoustic sounding, and they're topped not just with the usual keys, but also some heavy guitar too – sometimes a bit fuzzy, which gives the record a nice edge – and which further seems to push the rhythms away from the obvious. There's a bit of vocals on the set, but most of the focus is instrumental. The album's got a tremendous amount of musical depth.

Price: 10 USD

Location: Skokie, Illinois

End Time: 2025-01-06T19:32:24.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5 USD