Working my way through Tobin Mueller’s large and illustrious back catalogue is a very rewarding experience. Usually, as a writer, you get to review a single or album in isolation, years apart from any other releases. Being able to hop through his collected works in quick succession adds a lot of helpful context. It is a bit like being shown around his musical house. “Here’s the jazz room; down the hall is the funk room, prog, upstairs, first on the left…” It is easy to see each release as one conducive part of a larger sonic creation. And who wouldn’t want to live in such a house?
And, I’ve approached things, more through luck than judgement, in the proper order. I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of jazz, the subject genre of this collection, is less than comprehensive. But having found my way here by using his previous prog fusion and jazz standards arrangements as stepping stones, I feel that I know Tobin’s music well enough that I am not only equipped for the task but also eager to get stuck in.
The one great thing, well, one of the many great things, about Tobin’s music is that it is always busy. Not to the point of being overly complex or unnecessarily ornate, space and atmosphere are vital unseen instruments in his creative process, but built on deftly compiled sonic layers, tones and textures interlaced to create satisfying arrangements. And this volume is no exception.
Saddle Show Sally, which kicks things off, sits towards the sparser end of his signature sound, but this space further frames the players’ various solos and sonic salvos. Cliff’s Edge is more representative with its warm organ swells acting as a perfect platform for the sweet ebbs and flows of music that play out above. The bass and beat anchor things, and stabs of brass act as robust sonic structures allowing the musicians to go a little crazy when the spotlight calls them out for a solo run.
Struttin’ Up Bourbon shows how closely the more rootsy genres are related, this song blending at least three generic elements into a heady musical cocktail, the freedom of jazz, the groove of blues and the emotion of soul, all adding their trademark traits to the proceedings. Hitchhiker Tales is big and brassy; Acid Hopping is slick and slightly psychedelic; Mueller’s Wheel is one part liquid funk, two parts west coast jazz, and Caught In The Current is somehow mystical and otherworldly.
And if proof were needed that there aren’t such things as genres and styles in Tobin Mueller’s world, although this is a compilation of his more jazz-leaning creations, many of these songs have been garnered from albums that he has released more likely to be found in the funk, be-bop and even musical theatre soundtrack sections of the music shop. (Remember those?)
If there is a word that means both eclectic yet perfectly controlled and also adventurous yet familiar, then Tobin Mueller’s music would be its perfect definition.
[…] was going to say that this album shows us another side to Tobin Mueller, but then the previous three albums of his that I am already familiar with each show so many sides […]