Outhipped
With an inventiveness that rivalsMedeski, Martin & Wood, German organist Barbara Dennerlein stands out in contemporary soul jazz, stretching the idiom with every fresh outing. Combining the deep grooves ofJack McDuffand the scintillating fleetness ofJimmy Smith, she also adds a repertoire of sounds and approaches that connectMartin Denny's lounge exotica toSun Ra's cosmic atmospherics. On previous albums, Dennerlein has made a point of surrounding herself with stellar sidemen, but on this one she's gone well beyond the small group format, employing a dozen musicians in groups of five to 10 players. Along with frequent associates like trombonistRay Anderson, guitarist Mitch Watkins, and percussionist Don Alias, the band includes drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, saxophonistsAntonio HartandCraig Handy, and flutist Steve Slagle. Frequently, Dennerlein even forsakes her brilliant foot-pedal technique for the superb acoustic-bass work of James Genus. It's a remarkable assembly in all its forms--funky, precise, and adventurous--and it brings distinctive snap and dense rhythmic currents to the organist's coiling, boppish tunes and spacey textures. Hart recallsJohnny Hodges, and Anderson brings a plunger mute to addEllington-like touches to "Odd Blues," while a quintet with Handy and trumpeter Darren Barrett digs deeply into the slow blues of "Farewell to Old Friends." "Mabuse," an invocation of director Fritz Lang's criminal mastermind, shifts direction with cinematic ease after a bracing blast of free improv, and theStones's "Satisfaction" receives a witty, infectious transformation. Dennerlein and company manage to keep this 75-minute CD percolating with both variety and a strong sense of identity. --Stuart Broomer