That's the Noise

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One of the grooviest albums we've ever heard from West Indian trumpeter Shake Keane – a player who's known both for his modern jazz work of the early 60s and his poppier sides of later years – but who's stepping out here in a great blend of both! The format is misleadingly simple, as many of the tracks on the set are 60s covers – making you think that Shake's just going for an easy groove – but amidst the more familiar numbers are also some key originals that step out in an oddly rhythmic way, and which get some unusual inflections from a group that includes either Stan Tracey or Pat Smythe on piano, Bob Efford on tenor and oboe, Coleridge Goode on bass, and Bobby Orr on drums. Shake himself plays flugelhorn on a number of tracks, in a way that evokes some of Art Farmer's excellent Columbia work of the mid 60s – which is also in a similar mode – and although the feel is bright on some tracks, it also has an underlying depth that's extremely compelling – a mix of sweet and dark that we really like. Highlights include the piano-grooving "Fidel", which has some excellent offbeat work from Tracey; a lightly tripping take on Joe Harriott's "Morning Blue"; and the beautifully thematic "New Sunday". Other tracks include "As Tears Go By", "Colours", "Girl", and "Downtown".  © 1996-2024, Dusty Groove, Inc.