Search - Schleigho :: Continent

Another entry in the jam-band jazz category (once known as fusion), this four-piece offers a rewarding balance of experimentation and soulfulness, much like Medeski Martin & Wood in spirit if not sound. Taking cues from 1970s funk-jazz ensembles like Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters band and Weather Report, Schleigho use the "groove" wisely, but are not slaves to it. The ever-shifting rhythms and exploratory improvisations keep things interesting most of the way. Songs will often zig-zag, as they do on the title track, on which a steady walking-bass head will morph into quirky stop-time passages with dissonant acoustic piano. The key element of the quartet is the keyboard work of Jesse Gibbon. It's not so much what he's playing (which is often outstanding), as it is the actual sounds he derives from his electric keys, very much inspired by Head Hunters-era Hancock. The other main soloist, Suke Cerulo, moves capably from guitar to flute to sax, adding variety to the proceedings. Schleigho succeeds by maintaining a balance between their probing rock tendencies and their funk jones, all of it polished just enough with a jazz sensibility and dexterity. --Marc Greilsamer