Buck Jump

Buck Jump

Having dropped the "Brass Band" part of their moniker for their disappointing <i>Ears to the Wall</i> in 1996, the Dirty Dozen return to their former, fuller-named persona for <I>Buck Jump</I>. And it's a relief. The band is in full bloom from the opening, funk-fueled track, even if the old snare-bass drum marching format gives way to a more standard drum kit for much of the session. With production from John Medeski (he of the vaunted groove outfit Medeski Martin & Wood), the DDBB steps up to blow on a wild array of songs, from "Run Joe," long an item for Louis Jordan, to a feverish read of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues." There's a great balance struck throughout the CD between the old school march-rhythm rave-ups and their more complex compositions that began coming to the fore on the excellent <i>Open Up!</i> Medeski has the whole party right in your face, too, from virtually the first seconds, when the horns blow brightly and never back off. <I>--Andrew Bartlett</I>