Groove Collective: Dance of the Drunken Master

Groove Collective is smart enough to play the trickster role. It’s a matter of circumstances, you see. Among the hippest of the post Us3 funksters, they’ve watched the parameters of “acid jazz” go from extremely elastic to nonexistent, often leaving those foolish enough to stick with one approach eating dust. The Collective’s forte is still big band spiced grease-check “Drunken Master” or the wickedly polyrhythmic “Deal With It,” for example, which erect shrines to the often overlooked jazz inflections of post-big-band dance outfits like Kool & The Gang. But like any smart collective (often known in the western world as a business) they know the value of diversity. On their third album, Dance of the Drunken Master (Shanachie 5045, 70:59) they use their airtight chops to address styles beyond the pale o+f normal live instrument funk. Drum ‘n’ bass for example, which gets the GC treatment on “Tangenziale” and “St. Gallen”.

Originally Published October 1, 1998