Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: Lil

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With their new album, Lil’ Tae Rides Again, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey journeys further into the sonic ether. Known for their adventurous jazz odysseys (excuse the pun), the hyperkinetic trio—this time around without longtime drummer Jason Smart, who amicably left the band last year—tap electronic producer Tae Meyulks for this spacious minimalist effort.

The rhythmic acoustic strumming and ominous, detached organ notes of the opener, “Autumnal,” set the introspective mood, with new drummer Josh Raymer acquitting himself well in his JFJO debut. “Winter Clothes” provides a segue to the album’s standout track, “Tether Ball Triumph,” which features a squelchy, spinning keyboard track laid over a stuttering drum beat. Other highlights include the slow build of “Tae’s Parade,” a quirky reworking of the JFJO stalwart “Santiago Lends a Hand” and the chaotic but ordered “Recovering the Time Capsule.” With its moody tone and puncturing bursts of intensity, much of the album would have fit well as a soundtrack accompaniment to Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s excellent score for the Oscar-winning film There Will Be Blood.

Less-patient listeners may be turned off by the somewhat skeletal construction (there may be too much open space), but most JFJO fans are accustomed to the band’s continued experimentation and will probably appreciate the next chapter. Like most ambient soundscapes, this is best appreciated with a good pair of headphones.

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