Root 70: Heaps Dub

On first tone, you’d think this was the Youngblood Brass Band. But the Root 70 jazz quartet’s sound grows much larger on Heaps Dub, an almost entirely acoustic cover album, reprising largely electronic tunes by Burnt Friedman, his Nu Dub Players and his Flanger and Atom Heart artistic alter egos. All songs have been rearranged for saxophone, double bass, drums — and, crucially, the trombone, which puts a particular spark into the music. Root 70 is a tightknit outfit, playing a sometimes dubby, sometimes upbeat punchy jazz with a drive and energy stronger than that on the original Friedman recordings. The Cinematic Orchestra and French trumpetist Erik Truffaz spring to mind as sonically kindred artists, particularly on the punchy jazz shuffle of “Five Star Group Travel”. Heaps Dub is excellent translation of electronic music into jazz — giving beautiful credit to the respectful kinship and eternal play between the two genres.