The creative music scenes of Chicago and New Orleans join forces in the Lucky 7s septet, presented here live and raw. Neatly balancing abstraction with fat, chewy grooves, the band gleefully stomps through compositions by co-leaders Jeb Bishop and Jeff Albert, pulling back occasionally for stark atmospherics or somber ensemble sections. Jason Adasiewicz’s cool vibraphone work adds an intriguing extra dimension to the second-line rhythms and ballsy horns in this dynamic north-south summit.
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