This is a wonderful first time for me. Getting to review a jazz record! One of my many genre loves and one I’m so excited and honoured to be able to review courtesy of ‘Skinny Bonez Tha Godfatha’.
Now, this is a short 17-minute 5-track project. Of course, going into a project like this and knowing firsthand how many genres and subcategories of jazz there are out there, my mind couldn’t possibly comprehend what I would be in for.
In saying this, I want to tell you all something that made me happier than I ever thought I would be about this album (and it very well could have been done unintentionally).
But it seems like Skinny has featured sonic inspiration from the three main and most notable members of the ‘Miles Davis Quintet’, that being of course:
-Miles Davis
-John Coltrane
-Herbie Hancock (given Herbie wasn’t in the original adaptation but in the second between 1964-68) but still easily the 3 most notorious characters of the quintet and for obvious reasons from their larger-than-life personalities to their major impacts on the genre itself.
Anyway, there are 3 tracks on this project out of the 5 that I hear the sonic modern-day reincarnation of these people.
First is on the opening track ‘Dark Blue Skies During Train Rides’. This track I feel the heart and soul of Miles Davis (Kind Of Blue era) with that beautiful soft tone keys mixed in with those engaging drum beats and later on classic jazz instrumentation but of course with a touch of modern style incorporated.
The second track is ‘Entering Mindstates’ or the third track overall on the album. To be this is where John Coltrane is revamped. This song reminds me of a type of track he would play on his grand/classic ‘My favourite things’ record.
It’s grand, larger than life, colourful and lively from start to finish. Even the final 5-10 seconds of the song literally sounds like opening notes to the song ‘My Favourite Things’ or similar at least.
Then the final inspiration track to me is the final track on the album ‘Five Jazz Clubs, One Evening’, which is obviously Herbie Hancock. This song has so much flair and creativity it’s insane. Just like prime Herbie, this song is against the grain, it’s experimental, it’s original, and so funky! This is the kind of jazz you listen to when you want that ‘something different’, and everyone knew Hancock for being the jazz ‘odd man out’ in the traditional sense anyhow.
Either way, I love this track for being so out there and light years different than the other four!
The other two tracks, ‘Feel Me Vibing’ and ‘Suspicious Affairs’, are also beautifully done, and I hate to sound like I’m sidelining those, but it’s just I couldn’t help but overindulge in those 3 inspiring tracks of three of my favourite artists, not just in jazz but of all time.
Overall, this is a fantastic, near-perfect 17 minutes of music. It’s rich, masterful, and memorable. I wouldn’t change a damn thing on this project, and if you give it a chance, I know you’ll love it too!
https://skinnybonezthagodfatha.bandcamp.com/album/starry-nights-jazzy-minds
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 