Gene’s Jazz Hot
(self-released)
It’s hard not to like this affable group of old-timers who have made
Loganberry Books their home away from home. Recorded live at Loganberry
earlier this summer, Live, Love, Laugh & Be Happy lives up
to its ecstatic title. The band brings a youthful energy to standards,
hamming it up on the scat-happy opening track “‘S Wonderful” and toning
things down for the relatively sparse “On the Street Where You Live,”
which has a soulful feel to it. “Blue Skies” is frivolous good fun, and
so is the snappy “Red Red Robin.” — Jeff Niesel
Gene’s Jazz Hot performs at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 8, at
Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., 216.795.9800, loganberrybooks.com).
Captain Kneal and the Noisemakers
(self-released)
This trippy affair begins with the careening “Soka,” a steady dose
of trance that’s propelled by noisy guitars before seguing into
“Inversion,” a tune with distorted vocals and sci-fi lyrics about elves
and dwarves. It’s head-melting stuff that this fine band delivers with
the right amount of finesse. While the trajectory of “S.N.E.S.” is more
predictable than the album’s first two tracks, there’s little about
Captain Kneal that can be easily categorized, as the guys dip into
psychedelic rock (“Interlusion”) and electro-funk (“CLE DNB”) without
missing a beat. — Niesel
Captain Kneal and the Noisemakers perform with All Day Recess and
Inkface & the Digital Dream at 8 p.m. Friday, October 9, at the
Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., 216.321.5588, grogshop.gs). Tickets: $6.
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2009.
