Ubiguity Rec. 
Karl Hector & The Malcouns : Sahara Swing (US,2011)***
This is a team work project between Karl Hector (leader of the Funk Pilots), Jay Whitefield (producer and guitarist for the Poets of Rhythm and the Whitefield Brothers) and Thomas Myland and Zdenko Curlija (The Malcouns). The band has many elements that show them as a capable improvising afro-centric band (with a sporadic Ethiojazz influence) for their rhythm feeling, combinations of arrangements and grooves. In this they show strong poly-rhythmic attraction, the right brass accents, a few organ solo improvisations and so on. In the details they got it all. But then, they lack an architectural vision of a composer, of a band leader. It is as if they take out small fragments of grooves that work, then they fade them out. They don’t lead to anywhere, are not carried by some songs or compositions or visions. At times they groove on easier achieved funky rhythms, but also there nothing extra added. In the right conditions they would be a great band, and maybe they are, but they don’t have a context to make it so, no extra visualising direction. This is good like sampling and even then it needs a DJ to recreate the moments. As a compilation of fragments even this could have been done with a better flow.
