Noertker's Moxie & The Melanchoholics: Curious Worlds – The Art & Imagination of David Beck

Bill Noertker and David Beck first got together in the early '90s while playing in the jazz quartet Playland. Film maker Olympia Stone asked Noertker to write the score for her film Curious Worlds, a documentary focusing on the art of David Beck. This soundtrack contains music written specifically for the film as well as other tunes featuring the bands The Melanchoholics (a collaboration between Beck and Noertker) and Noertker's Moxie (Noertker's main band).

Curious Worlds is a nice contemporary jazz CD featuring Beck's baritone sax and Noertker's subtle yet influential contrabass. A total of ten musicians lend a hand. The music is quite melodic and uplifting and never gets overly dense. There is ample space for all the instruments to breathe, especially saxophone and flute. The musicians are very capable as can be heard on these fourteen tracks.

The disc kicks off with "Curious Worlds: Opening Music", and its playfully melodic flute and saxes. The percussion is very sparse, preferring to let the woodwind instruments take center stage. On the sultry "Something You Know", a slow and languid bass line propels the saxophone through a leisurely and careful pace creating a simple yet mesmerizing musical soundscape. With "Moth en Stereo" the drums are much busier and the layers of saxophone form the bulk of the tune. The repeating sax line and subtle bass in "Curious Worlds: L'Opéra" features another solid arrangement and nice melody. For a different feel, the darker "In Blue" is much more exploratory beginning with somber piano before the bass line gives much needed energy for the piano to discover different moods and textures.

Curious Worlds is a slow and relaxing jazz album that I quite enjoyed. When I don't feel like rocking out I can see myself reaching for this one again.

Released on Edgetone Records.

Track Listing:
1. Curious Worlds: Opening Music
2. Something You Know
3. Moth en Stereo
4. Curious Worlds: L'Opéra
5. Kleine Komposition II
6. In Blue
7. Little Jester in a Trance
8. Meet Me at the Edge of Noon
9. L'Éléphant Blanc
10. Fork
11. Way Gone Cool, Cool Cat
12. More Fun
13. Dona del Càntir
14. Animatique

Added: July 8th 2016
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
Hits: 1943
Language: english

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