For all my protestations of musical diversity, I’m basically a creature of the mainstream. Oh, I might dabble in jazz and prog and blues and country and metal. But when it comes to comfort music, I’m as likely as not to grab for one of a hundred thoroughly predictable introspective singer-songwriter types — y’know, the ones that give the tragically hip scenesters hives just hearing their name (“John Mayer” — gotcha!).
Which is one of many reasons it was such a pleasant surprise to me when I popped this disc in my player and couldn’t seem to get it out.
The Neurons are a pair of relatively anonymous veteran sidemen (Paul Adams and David Hoffman) who made their names working in the shadows of others (notably Ray Charles), and The Dance is a homemade batch of hippiefied instrumental acid jazz/world music that is absolutely addictive. Consisting of thoughtfully arranged layers of keyboards, exotic percussion, trumpet, bass, guitar and various and sundry vocal snippets, the music melds jazz sensibilities with a steadily adventurous and multicultural ethic to create a warm, inviting, organic atmosphere.
The core of the Neurons’ appeal can be stated in a single word: groove (“The power of movement / The power of groovement” goes the goofy motto on the laser-printed-at-home sleeve). Every one of these tracks has it, whether the focus is on percussive melody lines, soaring flute work, or spoken-word poetry over a bed of soft jazz.
This is also one of those albums that defies you to describe individual tracks. This is an eleven-song suite of interconnected musical ideas, flowing one into the other like the soundtrack to a quiet day in the mountains. One track might feature snippets of Native American chanting, the next a gorgeous trumpet solo. Themes build within the tracks and then evolve as the arrangements add and subtract elements in a vivid whirl of sonic creation.
Bottom line: I grooved to this disc over and over again, turning it on while working on the site or doing work from home (bad worker – bad!). It’s soothing yet engaging, energetic yet laid-back. Danceable? Absolutely. You might even call it… groovalicious. Whatever you choose to call it, this album is worth a shot for anyone who enjoys exotic instrumental music that sets the feet to tapping and neurons to firing.
