Organist Barbara Dennerlein's previous albums, Take Off and Junkanoo, showed that she was one the most adventurous, funky and forward-thinking musicians around, unafraid to go against the current wave of retro-jazz finger merchants that get most of the press and play. With Outhipped, Dennerlein takes it one step further, matching excellent compositions with a creative ensemble. Her tunes cover every niche from blues to swing to New Orleans third line to super funk, with plenty of blowing space for such superb interpreters as Jeff Watts, Don Alias, Antonio Hart, Craig Handy, Steve Nelson, and Ray Andersen.
When was the last time you felt like hearing the Stones' hoary single "Satisfaction"? Dennerlein and crew play it with all the zest of a New Orleans marching band jamming with James Brown. "Outhipped" is a saucy slab of urban street funk; "Frog Dance" an ethereal waltz that recalls Wayne Shorter's classic "Footprints"; "Mabuse" a weird Hal Wilnerish bossa nova, and "Jammin" a swinging trio jaunt between Dennerlein, guitarist Mitch Watkins, and bassist James Genus. With Outhipped, Dennerlein pushes organ jazz (heck, jazz period ) into the 21st Century.
All recordings written by B. Dennerlein, courtesy of Verve/Universal Records and Nutone/Bebab Edition (GEMA).
