I've been in New Zealand for the last two-plus weeks on vacation. Had a chance to catch Recloose DJing at Sandwiches in Wellington a week ago, and Matt's new project, the Recloose Live Band, at a street fair in Petone just outside Welly last night. At the corner of Jackson and Buick, would you believe.
The band is an eight-piece jazz/funk outfit playing mostly originals and really is quite good, staying away from the cliches that plague these kinds of efforts. They have a brand-new CD out, Backwards and Sideways, recorded live at the San Francisco Bath House club in Wellington last November: http://www.myspace.com/reclooseliveband The CD doesn't have my favorite track, "Sanctuary," but you can hear it on Matt's Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/mattchicoine I talked with Matt a little and I think he misses tha D a lot (who doesn't of those who emigrate), and making a living doing music is hard anywhere but harder when your main markets are 10,000 miles away, but he's scraping through and doing it grand. So, good on yer Matt. And will someone PLEASE book this band for the Detroit music festival this year! Fred
