You don’t need to be cat fan to appreciate what San Francisco-based avant-garde keyboardist, composer and supermodel Amanda Chaudhary is doing on Meow Meow Band. The musical star power she brings to this six-track, half-hour recording is undeniable. There’s the rhythm section from Ornette Coleman's Prime Time Band -- Jamaaladeen Tacuma on bass and G Calvin Weston on drums -- plus guitarist Myles Boisen (Tom Waits, John Zorn), bass clarinetist Sheldon Brown (Bob Weir), sax man Steve Adams (ROVA Saxophone Quartet) and experimental vocalist Amy X Neuburg. The late multidisciplinary artist Serena Toxicat also sings here.
Chaudhary herself is no amateur, either. According to her BayImproviser.com, “she performs regularly around the Bay Area, New York and beyond, both solo and with various bands and ensembles. Her solo work involves experimenting with innovative sounds via analog synthesis and custom software with computers and mobile devices for new modes of expressive musical performance.” She also obviously loves cats; Meow Meow Band was released on CatSynth Records.
This is captivating electro-jazz-funk, punctuated with clever song titles and whimsical melodies. Chaudhary wrote or co-wrote everything here, which is impressive considering the broad instrumentation on songs like “Under the Ceiling Fan” (which allows Adams and Brown to shine). “Donershtik” grooves to a cheesy disco beat, and "Cables and Carafes" bounces on a bass line that supports what sounds like a soundtrack to vintage video games and cartoon porn.
Jazz fans and listeners who dig heady Seventies prog will find much to indulge in on this short disc.
Track Listing:
1. Invocation (French Miaou Bast)
2. White Wine
3. Cables and Carafes
4. North Berkeley BART
5. Under Ceiling Fan
6. Donershtik
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