Rope-a-Dope
2006
Copperopolis
About This Album
Longtime Charlie Hunter associates John Ellis (reeds and keys) and drummer Derek Phillips were soon to leave the fold after the recording of this session, but there is no sign of undue tension in this typically impressive set. The proceedings kick off with the hard rocking "Cueball Bobbin'...," where Ellis switches from keys to sax and back as Hunter rips into some of his hardest rocking riffs, weaving around the other instruments like a prizefighter taunting his opponent. If nothing else quite matches the driving intensity of that track, the rest is immensely enjoyable jazz-rock fusion that plays far more to the jazz side of that equation. The disc was recorded in New Orleans, which might account for the spooky second-line rhythm of "Swamba Redux," a taut concoction that features Ellis' melodica on the opening lines, followed by his impassioned tenor blowing. These three play together with a loose precision that's both slippery and rugged, finding a groove and riding it on material that slides through surprises and changes but never seems showy for the sake of it. The trio pushes into minor-key avant-garde territory on the opening of the title track, before settling into a dark bluesy shuffle somewhat like Miles Davis' work with John McLaughlin.
Track List (try tracks 1,3,4 and 9)

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