Mostly Other People Do The Killing - Loafer's Hollow
SKU
Hot Cup 161
“After more than ten years, Mostly Other People Do the Killing sounds better than ever; reinvigorated, mischievous and perhaps more willing to take a deep breath in the midst of these multifaceted works.”-Karl Ackerman, All About Jazz
“If you thought the comic avant-garde free-jazz quartet Mostly Other People Do the Killing went off the deep end years ago, it just found a deeper spot.”-Steve Greenlee, Jazz Times
“…uber-talented musicians who have fun with jazz tradition and the music itself.”-Kirk Silsbee, DownBeat
Loafer’s Hollow is the second release by the septet lineup of Mostly Other People Do the Killing. Loafer’s Hollow contains eight new compositions by bassist/bandleader Moppa Elliott and explores pre-bebop era jazz from the first half of the 20th century.
Over the past thirteen years, Moppa Elliott’s Mostly Other People Do the Killing has earned a place at the forefront of jazz and improvised music performing in a style that is at once rooted in the jazz tradition and highly improvised and unstructured. Their initial albums explored the intersection between common practice hard-bop style compositions and free improvisation, incorporating a wealth of other influences from pop music to the classical European repertoire. In 2010, bandleader and composer Elliott expanded the group’s framework and began exploring specific eras of jazz resulting in 2011’s Slippery Rock (an investigation of smooth jazz and fusion styles) and 2012’s Red Hot (featuring an expanded lineup recalling the jazz and blues recordings of the late 1920s and early 1930s).
This album is an attempt by Elliott to concentrate or distill the style of MOPDtK by squeezing more musical material into a smaller space. The compositions are compact and dense but still allow the individual members of the ensemble to freely interpret the music as they deem appropriate. The album clocks in at just over 40 minutes, and Elliott hopes that listeners will be engaged by the album as a whole. Whereas the first MOPDtK septet album, Red Hot was directly influenced by the jazz and blues recordings of the 1920s and early ‘30s, Loafer’s Hollow owes a great debt to the music of the swing era, and Count Basie’s many ensembles in particular. From the use of the piano as a melodic instrument to the wide assortment of mutes employed by the brass players, the sounds of the 1930s and 40s big bands and “swing song” tradition is constantly referenced. Of course, this being a Mostly Other People Do the Killing album, there are innumerable other musical references waiting to be discovered by the astute listener.
Steven Bernstein is best known as the leader of Sex Mob, The Millenial Territory Orchestra, and the Hot 9 with Henry Butler. Sex Mob’s album Sexotica was nominated for a Grammy award in 2006.
Jon Irabagon works with Dave Douglas, Mary Halvorson, and Rudy Royston in addition to leading his own ensembles. He recently showcased his versatility by releasing a daring solo sopranino saxophone recording, Inaction is an Action and a straight-ahead jazz quintet recording on his Irabagast Records Label.
Dave Taylor is one of the most recorded bass trombonists in history. He has performed and recorded with everyone from Duke Ellington and Gil Evans to The Village People and Sting.
Brandon Seabrook was named “Best Guitarist in New York” by the Village Voice and performs in a wide variety of contexts from traditional jazz to experimental noise-rock. His band Seabrook Power Plant recently released their second album.
Pianist Ron Stabinsky first joined MOPDtK in 2013 as part of a project at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam commemorating the anniversary of Eric Dolphy and Booker Little Live at the Five Spot. In addition to his work with MOPDtK, Stabinsky is an accompanist in virtually every possible context from classical recitals, to community choirs, to improvised music, jazz, pop, and rock. Stabinsky lives in Plains, PA and is a member of the Peter Evans Quartet and Quintet, Charles Evans Quartet (no relation), and recently recorded his first solo album Free For One on Hot Cup Records.
Kevin Shea was named “Best Drummer in New York” by the Village Voice and regularly tours with the noise-rock-improv duo, Talibam! Shea recently released a third album with the band People featuring Mary Halvorson.
Bassist Moppa Elliott teaches music at St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset, NY and double bass and trombone at the Long Island Conservatory. He also produces and releases albums on Hot Cup Records.
- LabelHot Cup
- UPC888295523677