[AUM054] - CD in 4-panel digipak
Jim Hobbs: alto saxophone, compositions
Timo Shanko: bass
Django Carranza: drums
Long one of Boston's musical gems, The Fully Celebrated (Orchestra) have always been Jim Hobbs: alto sax, Timo Shanko: bass, and Django Carranza: drums. A jazz band playing the rock clubs like the young punks they were, developing along the way into the multiple-genres-in-one sages they became. Following a series of European and self-releases, Drunk on the Blood of the Holy Ones was their auspicious AUM Fidelity & U.S. label debut, featuring a stellar set of all new Hobbs compositions. The album (as the group itself) cannot be stylistically pegged, as each piece is a completely different & fully realized excursion.
Principal composer Jim Hobbs is an un-touchably gifted master of the alto saxophone; he impeccably produces a wholly cogent array of sounds from the horn, often times of which the instrument was not originally designed to manifest. The Fully Celebrated here wield an arsenal of ways and means to transform yr present moment through song and trio massage. Joyous bounce and sway, punkolodic riffage, incantatory cosmic groove & the stone flux title cut version of the classic reggae riddim, Stalag, dubfully rendered in Brooklyn on the eve of Election ‘08 with dew of ‘09 in mind..
#2 - Village Voice : An Alternate, Unsettled Top 10 of 2009
Top 10 Jazz CDs of 2009 : The Jazz Session
"Boston-based saxophonist Jim Hobbs, bassist Timo Shanko and drummer Django Carranza began performing together in 1987. Yet their latest collaboration, Drunk on the Blood of the Holy Ones, hardly sounds like the work of instrumentalists well into their third decade of collaboration. The album feels fresh and playful, displaying the creative exuberance typically associated with young players in the joy-of-discovery phase. On the opening 'Moose and Grizzly Bear's Ville', Hobbs lines are lighthearted and woozy, like a happy lush weaving through late-night streets at the pace of Carranza's oddly syncopated beats and Shanko's elastic pulse. 'Reptoid Alliance', which follows, is even more herky-jerky with Hobbs' squawk repeatedly looping back upon itself between a series of blissful improv snippets. Immediately thereafter, the title track changes course, as Shanko sets up a vintage Kingston groove that contrasts winningly with Hobbs' hiccups and splats. More hybrids follow, including 'Brothers of Heliopolis,' which toys with and then transcends Asian-music stereotypes. But 'Pearl's Blues (Your What Hurts?)' locates the strut and slink within one of jazz's most familiar forms, and 'Dew of May,' a subtly exploratory ballad, proves that the longtime bandmates can do more than genre hop. The Fully Celebrated's heady blend brims with a vitality that hasn't ebbed with the passage of time." –Michael Roberts, Jazziz
"This trio has crafted a disc full of power and intrigue on every level." –Marc Medwin, Dusted
"A virtuoso ensemble ..and.. there's no one with a more individual sound and conception than Hobbs" –John Garelick, Boston Phoenix
“Hobbs is one of his generation's most gifted altoists; his ability to effortlessly glide between pitches and microtones enables a boundless capacity for tonal expression. Filled with memorable melodies, stirring interplay and a wealth of sonic variety, Drunk On The Blood Of The Holy Ones is a welcome return from one of the most resourceful saxophone trios working today” –Troy Collins, All About Jazz
“Savory funk / vigorous odd-meter human-drum-machine patterns / manipulated dub / folkish / fiery free jazz / riveting alto lines / quiet intensity / music of a high caliber and a hell of a lot of fun. To top it off the CD includes a bonus fantasy skateboard video that proves to be a trip.” –Jay Collins, Signal To Noise
1. Moose and Grizzly Bear's Ville - 04:48
2. Reptoid Alliance - 03:28
3. Drunk on the Blood of the Holy Ones - 05:17
4. Brothers of Heliopolis - 07:26
5. Enemy of Both Sides - 05:58
6. Pearl's Blues (Your What Hurts?) - 07:01
7. Conotocarius - 05:24
8. Dew of May - 08:35
All compositions by Jim Hobbs,
© Pursuit of Happiness Music Corp. (BMI)
Produced by Jim Hobbs & Steven Joerg
Recorded by Michael Marciano on October 6, 2008
at Systems Two Studio, Brooklyn
Masterfully mixed with Michael Marciano
Cover artwork/design by Jason Fairchild