By Thomas Conner
© Tulsa World Mummy Weenie "Mummy Weenie" (Plum-E Records) Last time I saw him, Brian Haas didn't really have any hair. So when I say that Mummy Weenie provides the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey keyboard player a chance to let his hair down, you'll have to understand that we're dealing strictly in metaphor here. In fact, the now dormant Mummy Weenie is all about right-brain, amorphous, free-form thinking. Haas and drummer Sean Layton take a break from the frenetic pace of Jacob Fred shows for this humble side project, a trio rounded out by nimble Tribe of Souls bassist Al Ray. This live concert, recorded at Tulsa's Club One, is a dreamy, improvisational affair, a lulling and sometimes patience-trying set of roomy instrumentals that sound like Bob James confused and struggling through a show after someone spiked his drink with a Quaalude and a twist of Ecstasy. Haas occasionally meanders through his melodic spelunking via melodica, though most of these untitled tracks are worthy, rare moments of his caressing the Fender Rhodes electric piano. Layton's drums and percussion inject heart as well as beat, and Ray's emotional bass playing throws in some refreshing curveballs, particularly in the beginning of the contemplative fourth track. Watch out for the psychedelic studio trickery late in the set, but by then you'll be loose enough you might not even notice the weirdness. Mission accomplished. Comments are closed.
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Thomas Conner
These online "clips" reproduce a self-selection of my journalism (music etc) during the last 20+ years. It's a lotta stuff, but it only scratches the surface. I do not currently possess the time or resources to digitize the whole body of work. These posts are simply a bunch of pretty great days at the office. Archives
May 2014
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