Jessica Lurie-Licorice & Smoke

Kismet has the strangest and alluring ways of materializing in one’s life. Case in point: One of my favorite pastimes is to make creative and thematic compilation CDs for friends, and, just recently, I had a good friend whose job transferred him from Boise, Idaho to Boulder, Colorado. So, I thought it would be cool to make him a CD with songs that had either “Boise” or “Idaho” in their title. While doing my research, I discovered many songs entitled “Boise.”  One by Pop Sickle, another by Good Riddance, but the one most karmic was by The Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet.  I have always been a big fan of Amy Denio, ever since, in fact, I first heard her Tone Dogs recording Ankety Low Day. Hence, there was no waffling on buying the BTMSQ recording, Box, in order to obtain their song “Boise” so that I could fulfill my thematic compilation CD for my departing friend. Unbeknownst to me fate was knocking at my door, or should I say arriving in my mailbox?  On the same day that the BTMSQ CD arrived from Djangos.com, I received the Jessica Lurie Licorice & Smoke CD from Tess., our illustrious editor, with a suggestion that I give it a review. Now comes the destiny part of the story: low and behold, as I looked at the liner notes I discovered that Jessica Lurie is also a member of the BTMSQ; I believe the musical goddess had spoken to me and it proved to be a good thing—a good thing in the fact that the Licorice & Smoke CD lives up to and surpasses its descriptive title.

It is not too often that one can make literal associations between a CD’s title and music, but this is definitely one.  The licorice associations are just like the European leguminous plant with pinnate leaves and spikes of blue flowers with its medicinal and confectionery energy. This energy ebbs and flows throughout the haunting Eastern European melodies found blatantly or buried within the diverse ranges of free jazz—arrangements that are like the barbs on the rachis of a feather. Latin influences permeate vocally and musically with an unique off-color risqué, all of which create a strange brew with the dominant ranges of folk and groove—Licorice and Smoke, in more unornamented terms, is an alluring cross-section of musical genres and scenes that will leave you wanting more (like a kid in candy store).  The smoke associations fume with a hard bop heat and emit melancholy moisture as each song burns and cools the discerning ear, heart, and mind until they vaporize small particles of carbon.

The sweetness found in both Lurie’s vocal prowess and skills on the saxophone and flute have had an immense and smoldering effect on her talents as bandleader and composer, all credits that shine brightly on this latest release. All twelve songs are a refreshing testament to the ultra dynamic repertoire she has fused together into one unlimited and intense phonographic personality.  If you have even remotely enjoyed any of her past performances or recordings this one will be the icing on the cake and a wish come true from blowing out all the candles in one breath.