Dustin Laurenzi’s bafflingly great Snaketime:
The Music of Moondog LP, a tribute to the late outsider artist (released on
what would have been his 104th birthday), has been sold out for a minute. Can’t
get it. Not unless you scour back-alley Discogs pages for shifty retailers with
OOP Thelonious Monk and Sun Ra wax in their trenchcoats. And they might only upcharge you a little bit.
You gotta check the seller ratings. At any rate … Behold! More music by Laurenzi’s Snaketime ensemble, culled from
the same performance, is hereby released on cassette tape as … Behold. Four new tunes, now no longer
lost to the clutter of the cutting room floor. That’s right, I said Behold! Because you’re not doing nothing
if you’re not in on Behold.
Check it: Laurenzi and crew, comprising a who’s who of Chicago and/or
Astral Spirits jazz talent, hit up the Windy City’s Hungry Brain with some
Moondog interpretations in hand back in 2018. (Pre-COVID.) Why? Because it’s
fascinating, that’s why! The collective wound the room into a groovy frenzy, clearly
enjoying themselves as they performed Moondog’s tunes. The result is wickedly
laid back and sharply loose, as if oxymorons are going to get you in the
headspace you need to be in. What you really need to know is that this is a
bunch of really friggin’ great jazz players having a great time with a musician’s
work they clearly have a deep love and appreciation for. And just because this
is an appendix to an earlier document doesn’t mean it’s not spectacular on it’s
own. And, to be clear, it is. Spectacular. On its own.
https://dustinlaurenzi.bandcamp.com/
https://astralspirits.bandcamp.com/music
--Ryan
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