Wednesday 11 February 2015

Killer Opening Songs (Outre Mer by Garage a Trois)

As you all know well by now, and if you do not know, then, you should know, Killer Opening Songs is always on the lookout for some good, slow-burning, trail-blazing, soul-enhancing groove. Genres mean nothing to our little friend’s search for melodies that make it shake its you- know-what all the way to the ground. And back up again. This is how K.O.S. came across Garage a Trois.

Outre MerGaT, as its followers call it, was born in New Orleans (where else but?) as a trio-cum-quartet at the tail end of the 90s. Their first full-length studio album (which is sitting by K.O.S.’s side as it is typing this post) was Emphasizer and it defied genres and styles. Its follow-up, Outre Mer, was even groovier and more uniformly harmonic. This is the one on which Killer Opening Songs is focusing tonight. The title track has all the elements one has come to expect of GaT: strong funk hook, brilliant guitar work, innovative percussion, steady and reliable drumming and an explosive, winner-takes-all saxophonist. And you know what? This is just the opening track.

Charlie Hunter on guitar, Stanton Moore on drums, Mike Dillon on percussion (although it looks more like a xylophone what he is playing in the clip below) and Skerik on saxophone have created the sort of musical landscape that can only come from a place like New Orleans. Like the city itself, GaT’s music is hard to define but easy to fall in love with, even for an entity like Killer Opening Songs, that has never been to the States. At times the melodies are quirky (K.O.S. remembers Plena for my Grundle from their previous record, Emphasizer), on other occasions they are loose and yet there is a tightness all the way throughout their pieces, a togetherness, if you like.

If you are into modern jazz, you will surely become a devotee of Garage a Trois. If K.O.S. were pressed to define their style, our Regular Section with Murderous Tendencies would have to invent a category, like jazz-punk-Latin-funk or something along those lines. Above all, Garage a Trois is groove, just pure groove.



© 2015

Next Post: “Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music”, to be published on Sunday 15th February at 10am (GMT)

23 comments:

  1. I like! They have a nice sound.

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    1. They have, haven't they? :-)

      Greetings from London.

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  2. hot. really like their sound man...how it starts a little discordinate and then pow, they find rhythm and it kinda takes off from there...

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    1. Correct. There's a bit of "noise" at the outset and then each piece slots into place.

      Greetings from London.

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  3. You know me, CiL. Modern (or any jazz) leaves me comparing notes on blondes with the bartender or walking for the door. I fell asleep when the sax opened up. I have a thing about brass, and it is not a good thing. It makes me think about high school band practice or John Philip Sousa. The guy on the rhythm guitar is good; I think the drummer still is in high school .... but ....

    Actually, "real" music has been absent for more than a decade now for the most part, in my opinion. Today is like the pre-rock era .... just sort of there. I guess I am frozen in time, he says with a smile, and as a once-upon-a-time brass man and drummer.

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    1. (smiles) Loved those references. Brass to me is powerful. It's always the first word that pops into my head when I hear it.

      Greetings from London.

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  4. It's the repetition that puts me off but then I'm not into modern jazz, I always favoured the traditional kind. However, I listened all the way through and it was growing on me... smiles.

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  5. A really great mixture of sounds indeed as one beat forms and takes seed

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  6. not my song today. I´ve got a headache :(

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    1. Sorry! :-( I hope you get better.

      Greetings from London.

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  7. Pues mis saludos con buena música que lo pases bien con ella, un abrazo.

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  8. I like getting musical suggestions from you. Will have to forward this to hubbie, who is a jazz guitarist.

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  9. I enjoyed the music!

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  10. Like the beat (and the editing of the video)

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  11. Great music ... I really enjoyed it!
    Thanks for sharing :)

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  12. very cool... loved the sax esp. - naturally...

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  13. Hey Cubano-/ I have been in situations the last couple of days where listening to something is not possible-- part of my crazy life these days but will be getting home soon and will try to listen. Thanks. Manicddaily. K.

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  14. I thoroughly enjoyed this fabulous collection...the jazz is amazing!
    Thank you so much.

    Have a great weekend :)

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  15. Interesting. I'm not much into jazz but this is great if you like that sort of thing.

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  16. Wow! Reeeeeally nice sound. Thanks for sharing.

    I hope your mom has a wonderful birthday. Happy Valentine's Day,too!

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