Feeling Fine in Bloomington, MN

The last album
Kalima
released on
Factory
came at a time when they had a fair amount of respect and attention among the U.K.
acid jazz
scene but almost nobody else noticed precisely for that reason. Unfair perhaps, though given the tiresomely hipper-than-thou/"real music" emphasis of that subculture, all too understandable. Thankfully,
always gave an indication of living more in the present than an overly reverent past, and
Feeling Fine
maintains the gentle tension between rhythmic activity and carefully restrained moodiness that defined the group since the
Swamp Children
days. Opening track
"Shine,"
easily the stellar standout on the album, captures this perfectly, initial wind notes shifting into a funky-as-hell workout, while
Ann Quigley
's voice whispers in the mix like a ghost slipping between the beats. The rhythm section of
Warren Sharples
on bass and
Andy Boothman
and
Iain Alexander Kelly
on percussion and drums is excellent throughout, bubbling and warm at points, then focused and darker at others (consider the cool, forceful
funk
crawl of
"Take It Easy"
or the gentler late-night
bossa nova
swing of
"All the Way Through"
), but in ways the core of the band at this point might be guitarist
John Kirkham
. The seemingly effortless fluidity on songs like
"A Thousand Signs"
and the brief
"Azure"
(especially when a bit of reverb is introduced) shows he truly is a great rhythm player to match the rhythm section, providing the bed for flights of fancy by saxophonist and other core member
Tony Quigley
. Flutist/pianist
Bernard Moss
gets some moments of flash, as does sax player
Matthew Taylor
, if both in slightly more conventional ways. The
LTM
re-release includes two contemporary remixes of
"Shine"
by
Gilles Peterson
Tim Oliver
, along with the expected exhaustive liner notes and photographs. ~ Ned Raggett