Voodoo Without Killing Chicken
- '08 (Kirkelig Kulturverstedet FXCD 340)
The music was recorded at Øystein Greni's charming and legendary
studio Grand Sport Studio in Oslo, with analogue maestro Christian
Engfelt (Cato Salsa Experience, Lionheart Brothers, Serena Maneesh
etc.) at the controls.
The title of this album came to Reiersrud when he was touring Europe
with Dr John in
1984. The good doctor's drummer Kieran O'Connor had auditioned for
Van Morrison, but returned unhappy, calling the style Voodoo Without
Killing Chicken. While he disagreed with the reasoning, the young
Reiersrud liked the phrasing, and decided that if he ever made an
album with New Orleans and soul references, this would be his title.
This album, released on CD and vinyl, features 11 songs, all bearing
Reiersrud's distinctive signature, with 6½ of the lyrics
penned by Jeff Wasserman. The band is a chapter unto itself - young
with loads of experience from well-known Norwegian rock and jazz
bands. After accompanying Ann Peebles two and a half years ago at
Rockefeller in Oslo, they have played with Reiersrud on a regular
basis.
Bjørn Holm has performed with Knut Reiersrud for the last
eight years, and as a singer, guitarist and bass player at Knut's
concerts. David Wallumrød also performs with Lester and Jarle
Bernhoft, and there is no one today who can coax more exciting sounds
from a B3 organ on Norwegian records.
Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen used to be the bass player in Big
Bang and also performs with Lester, Elephant9 and National Bank.
Andreas Bye took over the drums in Bugge Wesseltoft after Anders
Engen, played in Sigurd Køhn's band. Rune Arnesen, who has
been in and out of Reiersrud's projects for 20 years, performs with
Dhaffer Yossef, and has been in Nils Petter Molvær's various
bands. Lars Horntveth, who wrote the wind arrangements, is a multi-instrumentalist
from Jaga Jazzist and National Bank, though here he keeps to the
sax and bass clarinet. Mathias Eick is a trumpeter with his own
solo career, regularly performing with drummer Manu Katchè.
This music speaks for itself, but we can unabashedly boast of the
warm sound from the Grand Sport Studio and the live feeling, particularly
these days when most music is edited - digitally cut and pasted.
Here the studio lamp goes red, one, two, three, four and here we
go straight on to 24-track tape. And let's face it, Reiersrud has
never written better tunes than this!
Track
List |
1. |
VOODOO WITHOUT
KILLING CHICKEN (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) |
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|
|
2. |
WEAKNESS IS A THING
CALLED MAN(Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) |
|
|
|
3. |
STRAWBERRY MOON
(Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) |
|
|
|
4. |
ANGEL (LOOKING OVER ME)
(Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) |
mp3
|
|
|
5. |
JUMPING THE
GUN (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) |
mp3
|
|
|
6. |
COME FLY WITH ME (Knut
Reiersrud) |
|
|
|
7. |
THE BOY FROM CONGO SQUARE
(Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) |
|
|
|
8. |
BAD NEWS
(Knut Reiersrud) |
mp3
|
|
|
9. |
JORDAN'S
WATER (Knut Reiersrud) |
|
|
|
10. |
KEEP HER FROM GOING TO
YOU (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) |
|
|
|
11. |
FIVE LITTLE CHICKENS
(Knut Reiersrud) |
mp3 |
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