From: Matt Laurence <mlaurenc@world.std.com>
Subject: Omar Saeed!!!!
Reply-To: mlaurenc@world.std.com
Organization: The Internet
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 20:23:44 GMT


Yow.
 
Well, whatever it was you did on Monday night, chances are
you weren't at the Middle East cafe. Which was most definitely
too bad, since the Omar Saeed Quintet played their first ever 
Boston show there last night, to a far less than packed house.
A major shame, too, 'coz "smokin,' " rockin'" and 
"un-FREAKING-believable" only begin to sum up the energy
that these guys from Rhode Island put out through their meager
sound system.

Ok, they sound like an arabic bop jazz combo. Well, they
aren't. They are also only four of them, none of them is named
Omar Saeed (and none ever was), and you've most likely never
heard of them except on the net, despite the fact that they 
provide a substantial draw at many Providence clubs. So 
what gives?

Well, these guys have been around Providence  for about 3 years
now, and are mostly Brown students, but in their spare time, they
somehow find the time to put out some of the most complex,
inspired improvisational fusion-jazz-funk-rock this side of Phish.

Oops, okay, I said it. But the comparison is unavoidable.
Let's face it, these guys sound a lot like Phish. Quite a lot. Picture
Phish about 4 years ago playing small clubs, and you've got the
idea. Now this ins in no way meant to be derogatory to this quite
amazing band. Phish is not for everyone, but they are one of THE
avant garde of the new return to live performance rock, so any
comparison with them, especially coming from me, is a BIG compliment.
 But, I mean,the resemblance is uncanny at times. Beyond the heavy
duty emphasis on solid, live improvisation, wild, sometimes unpredictable
chord changes and timings, and a cover of Caravan that sounded
more than a bit like the Phishy version of the jazz standard, these
guys even LOOK like Phish at times. If you stuck red hair, a beard,
and a pair of glasses on Kevin (the guitarist and occasional singer), you
would have Trey Anastasio incarnate, right down to the soloing
style, the body dips and the rapturous stare into the spotlights.
The bassist's lines are far more conservative and simple than Mike's,
but you just can't expect another Mike, and what he plays is definitely
effective. The keyboardist plays in an even jazzier style than Page,
reminding me of a mishmash of Herbie Hancock (whose tune
"Watermelon Man" they covered) and Chick Corea during the Miles
Davis "Bitches Brew" or "In A Silent Way" sessions. Very atmospheric,
with really mature and interesting chord changes and a blazing bebop
solo when it was appropriate. And HOORAH, he plays a Rhodes! I
don't care HOW trite that sound is - when used in good improvisational
rock, I still get chills.

Despite the similarities to Phish, these guys have SONGS that are all
their own (even when you can identify the "David Bowie" or "Divided
Sky" influences). And they have a lot of them. And they're all really good!
That's the clincher; I don't care WHO they sound like and how well
they play if they don't have good material, but they do have that, and
plenty of it. My personal favorites include such pieces as "Mister
Meanie," "Disco Blister," and "Centrifugal Bumblepuppy." They do
have a penchant for idiosyncratic nomenclatures, but it's all a part of
their goofy style. I appreciate good goof. But only when it is accompanied
by all the right elements, and the Omar Saeed Quintet had it all.

What more can I say? The rocked. They ripped. They raged. 
They rioted and rampaged through a bunch of covers and tons of
originals to which they lent a sound that was, while not quite all their
own yet, certainly will be with a little more time. These guys just should
NOT be missed. If anyone's interested in their tape or anything, it's
wicked cheap (like $5.00 or something), it's album length, it's damn well
recorded, and you can get drop me a line and I can dig out the 
address of Planet X Records for you (the manager is a really cool guy,
too - Dave says hi, Bill!). Anyway, let me just urge you to keep your
eyes peeled for the next time these guys come to town. They may
do a live spot on WERS sometime in Dec., plus they'll be back for more,
and they always play in Providence, so go forth and catch these guys
while they're still in clubs the size of a thimble. They won't be for long.

Matt