By John Zeratsky, ArtsEtc. Writer
New York jazz-funkers Ulu will play two shows in Madison this week — one as a jazz band for the Union’s Behind the Beat series, one as a general interest crowd pleaser for Party in the Park — so what should you expect?
Well, if the group’s latest live release What’s the Deal? is any indication, prepare for nod-inducing funk, ethereal keys and four guys breathing a serious dose of life into a dying genre.
Ulu’s latest hits you over the head right off, with the disc-opener “XG10.” All the makings of highly danceable fusion are here from the start, beginning with that essential ingredient for any kind of dance music — bass and drums that are not only on the same page, but jointly writing the book on hard funk.
Within the first bar, you can tell this album will be good. The aforementioned rhythm duo provides the background for some buttery-smooth Hammond playing by keyboardist Scott Chasolen, and the song takes off, developing as the band begins to enter uncharted territory, making it up as they go.
Chasolen changes ‘boards a few times, eventually landing on a Clavinet. His performance there — chunky and percussive — typifies all that is beautiful about the instrument. Move over, “Superstition.”
Chasolen demonstrates immense versatility and flair throughout the album and is certainly one of the band’s greatest assets. While bassist Brian Killeen and drummer Josh Dion are excellent in their own right and together form a solid and very danceable base that is sure to give Ulu widespread appeal, it is Chasolen who really gives voice to the group.
Killeen and Dion stick mostly to repetitive funk patterns, but Chasolen is almost always busy exploring melodic territory, giving Ulu its tasty jazz flavor.
While much of the praise falls on Chasolen, there is yet another — tenor saxophone and flute player Aaron Gardner — responsible for Ulu’s melodic and chordal identity.
Gardner isn’t as interesting as Chasolen. As the only monophonic instrument in the group, melodic responsibility naturally falls on saxophone, yet many times Gardner fails to deliver here, repeating simple phrases or lining the grooves with long tones.
Not that it’s all bad — Gardner gets a chance to open up and reveal his solo voice a bit on “Killer Bees,” and the sound of a horn is a welcome addition to a genre dominated largely by keyboard trios.
Horn man Gardner takes on a traditional melodic role on the monstrously funky and drum-laden “Prince Igor” and the double-timey space jam “Mouthlove.” On both tracks, Gardner seems consigned to playing heads — most of them up-tempo, eighth-note based and in unison with keys. Nothing breakthrough there.
Fortunately, Gardner largely stays away from the flute, using the instrument only on “Scab,” an otherwise smooth, interesting song.
It’s not that flute is wholly bad, or that Gardner is a bad flute player. Sure, he has trouble keeping in tune over a long tone, but so do most flautists. It’s just that flute — weak, quiet, and unsteady — doesn’t fit particularly well in a brand of funk that is generally cutting and hard-hitting.
Many critics have drawn comparisons between Ulu and another band of New York fusionists, Medeski, Martin and Wood, and it’s not hard to see why. Both are young jazz-funk bands. Both have attracted an unfortunate jam-band association, while staying true to their jazz roots. Both are bright spots in an otherwise-dim jazz world.
It is Ulu’s devotion to groove that truly sets the two bands apart. Medeski, Martin and Wood spend much of their time in a free-jazz wonderland, often boring and alienating visitors, while Ulu plows ahead with funky head-nodding beats and tight syncopated lines.
It is this persistence to pure funkstication that gives Ulu its intoxicating sound and probably a better chance at grabbing some of the mainstream market.
Ulu is a good band, and you should definitely go see them. Whether you are a well-tuned jazz aficionado, a jam band fan or someone who just likes to shake their ass, you are likely to dig Ulu.
Ulu plays this Friday, April 25 at 3 p.m. on the Memorial Union Terrace and this Saturday, April 26, at WSUM’s Party in the Park.
