Further Adventures of Mod Jazz

Kent's long-running Mod Jazz series was showing no signs of running out of obscure material to plunder by the time this anthology appeared in 2008; indeed, one of its main challenges seems to be coming up with yet further variations on the "Mod Jazz" titles used for the CDs. Further Adventures of Mod Jazz, like the previous volumes, focuses on jazz of a 1960s vintage (though a couple mid- to late-'50s tracks sneak in) that has a crossover appeal to soul and rock audiences. A number of the performers on this 24-track disc (with four previously unreleased cuts), in fact, are more accurately categorized as soul and blues musicians getting into somewhat jazzy material than they are as jazz musicians influenced by soul and blues. Albert King, Ike Turner, Dr. John (here playing under his real name, Mac Rebennack), Jerry Butler, Dee Clark, and Richard Berry aren't exactly the kind of artists you're likely to find filed under the jazz section. No matter -- this is still pretty fun, often loosely irreverent music that's less observant of stylistic barriers between jazz and R&B than most sides from the era, often employing devices -- organ, bluesy guitar licks, Latin motifs and percussion, fun novelty-like vocals -- uncommon in mainstream jazz of the time. It's not the best of the Mod Jazz compilations, but the cuts are consistently high-spirited and danceable, if sometimes a tad on the unimaginative side. As for interesting things to look out for, Rebennack plays some burning organ on the 1962 minor-keyed instrumental "The Point"; Albert King offers a stinging, solid shuffle on the obscure 1964 single "COD"; Richie & the PS 54 School Yard play hot Latin vibes-paced grooves on "Listen to Louie"; and the Afro-Blues Quintet do an exuberant cover of the Blendells' brown-eyed soul classic "La, La, La, La, La." If some of these really are more R&B songs than anything else (like Richard Berry's "Crazy Lover"), and hardly "jazz," it's no big deal. One of the strengths of the Mod Jazz series is its eagerness to embrace sounds that fall outside the standard "jazz" classification, and Further Adventures of Mod Jazz succeeds much more often than not in digging up worthwhile rarities that put some of jazz's characteristics into a context that non-jazz specialists could groove to. ~ Richie Unterberger