Garage a Trois: Power Patriot

Garage a Trois has been known to embrace funk-and-jazz channels rarely visited by mere performers. The who’s who of the jam world comes together for its fourth release, Power Patriot. Keyboardist Marco Benevento takes over for Charlie Hunter, joining drummer Stanton Moore, percussionist Mike Dillon, and saxophonist Skerik. The album holds many of the same features as previous releases, as Benevento’s transition is a smooth one. The same transfixing, danceable improvisations can be found at the heart of the disc. The flavors of New Orleans Jazz Fests, its performance staple, can’t help but find themselves strewn about the record.

As in previous releases and performances, Garage a Trois love to comment politically through its music. The band’s target this time: the gung-ho “patriots” holding tea parties to “remember the values our founding fathers championed”. The title track (written by Skerik) opens with several staccato saxophones that goof off from one line to the next. Sporadic computer blips and inner spatial percussion join the fricassee. The saxophones playing in unison seemingly represent the aimless power these “patriots” try to wield. It’s as if to say the patriots use an arbitrary logic but are at least orchestrated by a single force (aka Glenn Beck). If you’re reading this, Jon Stewart, Garage a Trois would be perfect for The Daily Show.