Judge this album by its cover? Do that!

[Johnny E]

Friday, June 16, 2006

Judge this album by its cover? Do that!

By Paul de Barros - Seattle Times jazz critic

The grunge era turned Seattle into a magnet for musicians, not just because it was on fire commercially, but because of a creative outlook that combined both whimsy and darkness.

The Reptet, a Seattle jazz band founded by a grunge-era immigrant from Philadelphia, reflects that Northwest sensibility nicely on a new album, "Do This!"

The album has been attracting attention worldwide because of its cover by the late, great Jim Flora, whose playful yet scary designs graced classic jazz albums in the '40s and '50s by artists such as Louis Armstrong, Shorty Rogers and Gene Krupa.

The Reptet celebrates the release of "Do This!" at 8 p.m. today at Consolidated Works ($8; 206-381-3218). Amy Denio opens with a set for accordion and voice.

The "Do This!" album art is a textbook example of the maxim "It never hurts to ask."

"I started doing a little research on the Internet and I discovered who Jim Flora was," said Reptet drummer John Ewing, "and I thought, 'Why don't I just write the guy who runs the Jim Flora.com Website on a lark?' I got an e-mail response almost immediately: 'You're right. It doesn't hurt to ask. Call me.' "

The image for the album has many typical Flora elements: black ink with a one-color wash; dismembered body parts (eyes, arms, mouths); forms that suggest wild animals (octopus, bird, snake, lizard) and random geometric shapes.

Beyond being a good publicity move, the Flora artwork works well with the Reptet's music, particularly on the raucous title tune and a series of four songs inspired by the Marx Brothers by trumpet player Samantha Boshnack.

Boshnack's tight, buoyant writing for this pianoless chamber sextet's four wind instruments (two brass, two reeds) is a highlight, recalling West Coast arrangers like Rogers. I especially like the way the flighty flute and groaning bowed bass capture Groucho's comic, opposite sides.

The elegiac "Harpo" begins, appropriately, with a snippet of harp music from a scratchy old record. The tune also features a strong trombone solo by Ben O'Shea, though it's one of the few solos on the album that come up to the level of the writing. Several passages in which players improvise at the same time — double and triple "solos," if you will — are more effective than individual solos, especially when they're done over jaunty, staccato riffs.

"Do This!" and the current Reptet lineup came about when reed player Tobi Stone, who had left the band and been replaced by Izaak Mills, rejoined for a one-off gig at last year's Earshot Jazz Festival.

"All the composers had to rearrange the tunes for one more horn," said Ewing. "The show was so much fun, it re-energized the whole group."

The Reptet began in the late '90s as a repertory quartet — hence the name — but soon evolved into a creative force. It is part of a loosely-defined, 16-year-old collective of 22 players called the Monktail Creative Music Concern. Inspired by experimentalists such as Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Music (AACM) and Holland's Instant Composers Pool (ICP), Monktail was founded by two other Philadelphians, bassist John Seman and drummer Mark Ostrowski.

Ewing, who says he admires drummer Art Blakey for his straight-ahead swing and "heart," feels jazz needs to look beyond its past.

"If you box yourself in and just play in the tradition of what was happening in the U.S. until the '70s, you're missing an essential part of your education."

Amen to that. Check out the Reptet.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/arts...263_jazz16.html

Edited June 16, 2006 by Johnny E

[White Lightning]

Well done, Johnny E

[Big Al]

Way to go, John!!!

[DukeCity]

Congrats, Johnny! Nice write-up!

[Johnny E]

Reptet

By Doug Ramsey, Arts Journal

June, 19th 2006

The album the squeaking-wheel publicist kept plugging, nicely but persistently, is Do This! by a Seattle band, The Reptet. In common with Harry Allen's group, they do not have a piano. Nor do they have a guitar, which leaves the sextet free of a chording instrument to provide harmonic guidance. That leads to some soloists being cast adrift on the waters of free jazz without a paddle, but there is a redeeming sense of joy, whimsy and almost reckless abandon in much of the skilled ensemble writing and playing. Some of it has echoes of Hindemith, Milhaud, and, in keeping with that line of musical thought, voicings remarkably like those in certain pieces by the Dave Brubeck Octet. There are also elements of street-corner brass bands, third stream composers and the Charles Mingus of Tijuana Moods, to single out only three of the disparate influences I think I hear.

Much of the writing is by the trumpeter Samantha Boshnack, with additional pieces by reed players Tobi Stone and Izaak Mill and bassist Benjamin Verdier. The other members are trombonist Ben O'Shea and drummer John Ewing. Stone, Mills, O'Shea and Ewing have stimulating solo moments. I admit that I was moved to listen to The Reptet by, in addition to the phone calls, the fact that four of the compositions are titled "Zeppo," "Harpo," "Chico" and "Groucho." I am happy to report that they live up to their names. And, yes, "Harpo" gets an introduction by an actual harp. I also like the occasional unexpected, but quite discreet, group and individual vocal touches that include shouts and moans. Great fun.

[Johnny E]

All Music Guide

Reptet - Do This! (Monktail Records 2006)

When the subject of avant-garde jazz scenes comes up in a conversation, the place that is often discussed the most - at least among New Yorkers - is downtown Manhattan (as in the East Village, Soho, and Tribeca). But avant-jazz activity certainly isn't limited to the Big Apple; not at all. There is plenty of it in Boston, Chicago, and many places in different parts of Europe, and Seattle is the city that, in 1999, saw the formation of Reptet. Do This!, the six-member group's second album, is not radically avant-garde, It is mildly avant-garde, and by avant-garde jazz standards, the material is relatively accessible. But at the same time, no one will mistake Do This! for a group of hard bop-oriented, standards-obsessed Young Lions who only play in the tradition. Do This! has it share of abstraction, quirkiness, and eccentricity, and while the material has been influenced by straight-ahead bop and swing, it is by no means enslaved by the tradition. The album favors an inside/outside approach - generally more inside than outside - and the group's long list of influences ranges from Charles Mingus to Gil Evans to Thelonious Monk to Ornette Coleman. The solos of trumpeter Samantha Boshnack, trombonist Ben OShea, and saxophonists Tobi Stone and Izaak Mills can be very free-spirited and stream-of-consciousness, but Do This! never becomes chaotic, and one of the album's strong points (in addition to the improvising and composing) is Reptet's cohesive ensemble arrangements. Listeners who have enjoyed the ensemble work of Boston's Either/Orchestra and other inside/outside outfits of the '90s and 2000s should have no problem getting into this early 2006 recording.

~by Alex Henderson~

Edited July 7, 2006 by Johnny E

[Johnny E]

SLUG Magazine

Reptet - Do This! (Monktail Records)

Street: 06.16

Reptet = Thelonius Monk + Mingus Big Band

A six-member, Seattle based jazz band that draws from a conglomerate of influences from Gil Evans-era Miles Davis, salsa, reggae and rock n’ roll, Reptet uses the big band format by playing themes together while making room for solos, similar to SLAJO. All of the players have solid chops. They can give a nod to the masters while adding their own studious flourishes. Reptet combines tight compositions with in-your-face improvisations, like the final minutes of the title track. As well as the regular jazz instruments, they pull out everything from a juju seed rattle to wooden ratchets, a bull moose call, frogs and train whistles. The most prevalent influences are Monk and Charles Mingus. They use some of those loopy Monk melodies that are as wobbly as a spinning top, while Mingus’ soulful, slow ballads are invoked in “H.R.” If you listen to jazz at all, these guys are worth checking out. –Spencer Jenkins

[Joe G]

Look at that - picking up steam! Go, Johnny Go!

[Johnny E]

Look at that - picking up steam! Go, Johnny Go!

[medjuck]

John, where can we buy this cd. (Or was that mentioned in this thread and I missed it.)

[Johnny E]

Glad you asked

You can order it straight from us at http://www.reptet.com/buy.htm

Or if you prefer an online retailer, you can buy it from amazon, tower or cd baby.

[medjuck]

Hey I'm glad I asked too. Here it is only 5 days after my post and I'm already enjoying these cds. Actually, they arrived yesterday!) Good music, beautifully packaged. At $20 for 2 including shipping they're a bargain. I like the way they're recorded too: the bass on the first cd really gave my subwoofer a workout. BTW I presume "The Gears" had its origins in Night in Tunisia.

[Johnny E]

Hey I'm glad I asked too. Here it is only 5 days after my post and I'm already enjoying these cds. Actually, they arrived yesterday!) Good music, beautifully packaged. At $20 for 2 including shipping they're a bargain. I like the way they're recorded too: the bass on the first cd really gave my subwoofer a workout. BTW I presume "The Gears" had its origins in Night in Tunisia.

Yes, the first disc was actually featured in audiophile magazine and the guy who mastered it says it's the best work he's ever done. The newest one captures what we sound like live a lot more...almost like you're in the room. I believe the new disc is a stronger recording performance wise, but that first one sure sounds nice.

As far as The Gears, that was written by Gil Melle. I'm sure he must have taken a glance at that garbage can lid that dizzy wrote it on.

Thanks for the support Joe, I'm so glad you like the records.

Edited July 14, 2006 by Johnny E

[Hot Ptah]

I have also received both CDs within a short time of ordering them. I have "Do This" on non-stop rotation in my car. I have not heard a new jazz album in some time which is as vital, alive and joyful. I love the drumming on "Do This"--it is enegetic, swinging and unpredictable.

[Johnny E]

Reptet

Do This!

Monktail Records

MCMC4

The Reptet is part of a forward-thinking 16 year-old Seattle collective called the Monktail Creative Music Concern, which was started by two grunge-era immigrants from Philadelphia. The pianoless sextet's name originally derived from its origins in repertory jazz, but it has abandoned this trajectory for original, gently out-oriented music.

Trumpeter Samantha Boshnack's open voicings, jaunty tempos and buoyant timbral mixes for two winds and two brass have a friendly monster feel in a comic sequence for the Marx Brothers. Flighty flute and groaning arco bass capture "Groucho"'s contrasting sides and a muted-trombone lead on the skipping, mid-tempo "Zeppo" has a cool, West Coast airiness. "Harpo," which begins with the sound of the needle dropping on a scratchy old harp record, achieves a bittersweet and elegiac mood of orchestral grandeur.

Bassist Ben Verdier takes a more oblique compositional approach on "Mumia's Lament" and "Little Caesar," using haunting low-register clarinet on the first and mock hotel swing and a staccato trumpet-stab accompaniment for the latter. The Reptet often employs a mixed-solo strategy, with especially good results from Boshnack's slide trumpet and Izaak Mills' bass clarinet on "Bad Reed Blues." Mills' title cut features collective improv, vocal insertions, samples, a herky-jerky melody and in-and-out-of-phase riffs.

Individually, trombonist Ben O'Shea is the only accomplished soloist ("Chico," "Harpo"), though Mills evokes a luxuriant, growling Archie Shepp on the lowing "Mumia's Lament." Boshnack seems to be aiming for some combination of Don Cherry-like disjunction and Lester Bowie-ish mock drama, but comes off as merely fumbling. Stone's Ornette Coleman-inspired melodic improvisations go nowhere. Verdier's vivid bass vamps, on the other hand, and drummer John Ewing's great time and fills keep the music moving. The surprise ending to "Do This!" - I won't spoil it - is a nice touch.

Edited August 9, 2006 by Johnny E

[Joe G]

Ouch - a couple of critical barbs in there! Comes with the territory. Congrats on even getting in there - something we weren't able to do.

[medjuck]

I had the cd playing in my car, driving with my 17 year son-- a fan of The Foo Fighters etc.-- who suddenly exclaimed "Hey this is interesting music!" which from him is high praise.

[Johnny E]

Ouch - a couple of critical barbs in there! Comes with the territory. Congrats on even getting in there - something we weren't able to do.

Yeah. The funny thing is, Tobi doesn't sound anything ANYTHING like Ornette Coleman. Most people say Tobi is coming from the Lester Young/Dexter Gordon side of things. It's Izaak that has the Ayler/Coleman influence. I'd say that he got them mixed up if it weren't for the solo order sheet I sent to him. And her solos certainly go somewhere. She has a very deliberate trajectory every time she solos. I don't know. Often times I think reviewers feel like they have to insert a couple jabs or they might be viewed as an ass kisser. Sometimes they can seem quite random. All in all, a positive review and not entirely off the mark.

I'd be interested to hear what some of the people who have the disc think of the review.

Edited August 9, 2006 by Johnny E

[Johnny E]

I had the cd playing in my car, driving with my 17 year son-- a fan of The Foo Fighters etc.-- who suddenly exclaimed "Hey this is interesting music!" which from him is high praise.

Well, he does refer to me as a "grunge-era immigrant", so maybe your son is on to something.

[Dan Gould]

Ouch - a couple of critical barbs in there! Comes with the territory.

I couldn't believe that with those two barbs, they still gave 3 stars.

Must be grading on a curve, eh, John?

[Big Al]

Y'know, John, I really wish you'd quit bumping this thread up. It makes it that much more difficult for me to pinch my pennies! Of course, listening to the clips at CDBaby doesn't help my cause, either!

[Johnny E]

Y'know, John, I really wish you'd quit bumping this thread up. It makes it that much more difficult for me to pinch my pennies! Of course, listening to the clips at CDBaby doesn't help my cause, either!

Oh, did I mention you can get the new disc and our first disc, straight from our web site for just 20 bucks. That's right, both discs for $20.

Now that's a bargain!

Edited August 11, 2006 by Johnny E

[Bright Moments]

well i just enjoyed reptet's "do it"!!!

and to celebrate i bought the first cd as well!

[Johnny E]

Do This!

Reptet

(Monktail)

___________________________________________________

In Short: Get This! Gorgeous mix of beauty and brains.

___________________________________________________

WITH Do This!, Reptet, a six-piece outfit from Seattle, performs a masterly balancing act with an album that matches hard-swinging grooves with bewitching compositions and lusty blowing.

The band hits a sweet spot somewhere between hard bop and the fierce adventures of more free-form improvisation, taking in shades of Mingus, Ellington and more along the way, for a result that delivers seduction of a most pleasurable kind.

That’s a blend to which many aspire, but few have the talent, determination or vision to fulfill.

With percussionist John Ewing and bassist Benjamin Verdier maintaining a steady pulse, the four horn players play a dozen or so instruments between them, yet never lose focus.

The sound is superbly punchy and most tracks, including four named after the Marx Brothers, clock in at just right durations of five to 10 minutes.

Kenny “Never Wanted to be a Muso” Weir

[Johnny E]

Do This!

Reptet | Monktail Records (2006)

By Dan McClenaghan

I looked up “reptet” in the dictionary. It's not there. The words skip from “reprove” to ”reptile”... no “reptet” listed. Maybe I don't have a big enough dictionary, or maybe the Seattle-based sextet made it up. And why not? The music on the group's second CD is all about spontaneity and improvisation, unfettered, exuberant energy and rubbery, loose-limbed grooves—on the one hand they don't sound like they're taking it all too seriously, while on the other, they make some very fine modern-sounding music.

Various group members wrote the all-original compositions, and the influences have a broad base. “Zeppo,” the opener (penned by trumpeter Samantha Boshnack), has a nicely cluttered Charles Mingus feel. “Bad Reed Blues” (by multi-reedist Tobi Stone) is a whimsical weave of reed (bass clarinet) and brass in a sort of New Orleans/Allen Toussaint horn arrangement—after, maybe, the great arranger has had a glass of wine or two—with brass and reeds swirling in and out of the mix without fighting each other, each finding their own space. Everybody's assertive, but in a cooperative way, like a careening musical Roller Derby team.

“Harpo”—there's a Marx Brothers theme going on here—includes special guest Bron Journey on harp. The delicate, classical-sounding beginning evolves into a hard-trudging, bass/drum-heavy forward momentum behind obstreperous horn solos. You'll hear a bunch of different small percussion instruments shaking and rattling in and out of the mix throughout the disc, suggesting a Art Ensemble of Chicago influence—with a strong sense of fun.

With Do This the Seattle-based Reptet has crafted a fresh, engaging and innovative sound.

Visit Reptet on the web.

Reptet at All About Jazz.

Track listing: Zeppa; Bad Reed Blues; Ro; Harpo; Chico; Groucho; Munia's Lament; Little Caesar; H.R.; Do This!

Personnel: Samantha Boshnack: trumpet, slide trumpet, flugelhorn; Ben O'Shea: trombone, juju seed rattle; Tobi Stone: baritone, alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet; Izaak Mills: alto and tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute bull moose call, frog, maraca, mini bell, tamborine, train whistle, wooden ratchet; Ben Verdier: bass; John Ewing: drums and percussion.

Special Guests: Lalo Bello: congas, bongos, mini maracas, shekere; Bron Journey: harp