The Coimbra Concert, a two-disc set from the zany punk-jazz band Mostly Other People Do the Killing, is jazz’s answer to those mash-up mixtapes created by artists like Girl Talk and DJ Car Stereo (Wars). Think of it as attention-deficit jazz, in the mold of Stars on 45.
On this latest effort, recorded live at a festival in Portugal, the quartet of trumpeter Peter Evans, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, bassist Moppa Elliott, and drummer Kevin Shea continues to walk a fine line between irony and ridicule. The group has a penchant for designing album covers that, depending on your perspective, either mock or pay tribute to classic jazz LPs. This time, however, MOPDTK is picking on someone who isn’t exactly known for his sense of humor—the jacket for The Coimbra Concert is a spoof of Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert. If you think it’s an homage, get a load of the expression on Elliott’s face in the gatefold.
