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Revolutionary Snake Ensemble
Ken Field’s Revolutionary Snake Ensemble “Year of the Snake”
(Innova)
Review by Matt Robinson
 Man,
this “Snake” can move! Slithering from frontman Field's upbeat original
opener "Parade" to a spare Southern-fried cover of “Iko Iko,” this boa-nafied
Jazz band proves time and time again that it is not constricted to any one
style. Angel Villodlo’s “El Choclo” combines South American flavors with
touches of Blues and Klezmer and Sun Ra’s “A Call for All Demons” slides
all over the place, from a tango-ed entrance to a Turkish twisting finale.
Among the highest high points (and there are many) are the funkified
Ensemble theme “Year of the Snake,” the horn-punched take on Wanu ibango’s
“Soul Makossa,” and a bridge-busting blast through James Brown’s “Soul
Power” (featuring the groove-y bass work of Aaron Bellamy). From Field’s
smooth alto and Mickey Bones’ snappy snares to the brassy blasts of
trumpeter Jon Fraser and sax machines Mark Caughill and Charlie Kohlhase,
this album packs in not only a lot of great music but also a bunch of
great local players. Even the voice of the Boston subway gets in on the
gig in the appropriately frenetic “Central Square.” Any band that has the
guts to take the guitar out of a John Scofield piece (“Some Nerve”) has
got to know what it is about, and the Legendary Snake Ensemble is
definitely one such band.
- Matthew S. Robinson
c. 2003, M. S. Robinson, ARR
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