Drive Band “Confusion”

"Confusion"
(Geneon) 2002

Kankawa—organ
Kazuki Katsuwo Katsuta—alto sax
Hirokuni Korekata—guitar
Ko Shimizu—bass
Hiroyuki Noritake—drums

Kankawa doesn’t have his better-known name up front on this project. That small act gives the Drive Band a loose, collective feel on this jamband-fusion-funk outing. This newly-released CD has loads of power which the band uses like a jackhammer to dig down to the bedrock of fusion, but ultimately they don’t really break any new ground. But maybe innovation isn’t really the point. The music they put together is good-time, electric music. The group has clearly listened to the jam band sound, rooted itself in 60s fusion, and at times, they take those bass-heavy, hard-driving rhythms and run with them. But just as often the music feels as if it’s been designed for MTV-ized rock audiences.

That’s fine, because those listeners probably need it, and anyway, it often hardly matters in a live setting, where the energy takes over. But on a recording, a further steeping in the jazz tradition, as fusion was and jam band music still is, would have filled their songs out more fully. The players are solid musicians who create a high-energy sound that oozes excitement, but it’s rather safe excitement most of the time. Only sporadically do they keep going with sustained funky grooves or spinning the sound apart with centrifugal force.

All of this is just fine, of course, for the band and for listeners. It’s played well and at moments really comes together. Like a lot of acid jazz and jam band music, it’s excellent to have on in the background, and it gets your feet tapping and head bobbing, but if you listen closely, there’s nothing too new in their sound. Like a conversation with an old acquaintance, we’ve heard most of what’s said here before, even though it’s comforting and entertaining to hear it again.