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You wouldn’t expect anything less than a full 100% dance-friendly CD from Freestyle’s boss and leader of the Messin’ Around team, Adrian Gibson. This is more for fans of The Sound Stylistics’ Play Deep Funk than Shirley Eubanks Ensemble but the reason you might not be that familiar with their name is Cookin’ On 3 Burners are a trio hailing from the land of Oz.

Madeski, Martin & Wood are now, if not exactly changing their tune, but approaching their thing with a different emphasis with John Scofield (see review of Out Louder), so the field is fairly clear for chefs of funk, soul and jazz.

The trio is guitarist and multi-talented Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos, DJ, Producer, Equatorial Records, Lanu, No Comply), Ivan Khatchoyan (drums) and the mighty Jake Mason (Hammond organ). They have also shared stages variously with Joe Bataan, Alice Russell, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Quantic Soul Orchestra, Bembe Seque and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and on the strength of this album, all those gigs would have been a special treat.

Fallon Williams provides the deep southern vocals on ‘Cook It’ and Kylie Auklist on ‘Settle The Score’ gives an Alice Russell type performance. All the rest are instrumentals finely tuned from the golden age of trio bands. The best is the title track featuring a horn section with solos by Bruce Sandell (flute) and Dave Palmer (trombone). The opener is the former single, ‘Keb’s Bucket’ (Keb Darge tribute? Also see Lost & Found) and the previously released compilation favourite, ‘Cressy St. Breakdown’.

All very Mr. Fine Wine you might think. Nothing wrong with that of course, but then there’s a surprise cover version of the Gorillz’ ‘I Feel Good Inc.’ that has a d’n’b feel with a melodic break that could have been a Kink’s tune! It really brings the 60’s up to-date.

Back in the 60’s, boogaloo to the ‘Cane Toad’ daddy-o and watch out for that ‘Tuesday Night Sleuth’ with that horn section stokin’ the fires.

Hotter than a Bakers Dozen, these thirteen tracks will boil your waters and fry your jazzhead brains.

Upcoming gigs:

Perth 5, 6 & 7 October
Melbourne 12 October - Official album launch party
Adelaide 17 November
Sydney 18 & 19 January 2008

Hectic Mix nominations: ‘Feel Good Inc.’, ‘Cressy St. Breakdown’, ‘Tuesday Night Slueth’, ‘Baked, Boiled & Fried’

Reviewed: Cookin’ On 3 Burners - Baked, Boiled & Fried (Freestyle) Cat. No. FSRCD026 Release date: 22 October 2007
01. Keb’s Bucket (3 :30)
02. Cook It (3:50)
03. Baked, Broiled And Fried (3:58)
04. Mango Skin (4:11)
05. Cressy St Breakdown (4:18)
06. Settle The Score (4:05)
07. Feel Good Inc. (4:35)
08. The Burners Jam (2:47)
09. Gravel Rash (3:21)
10. Redback (3:22)
11. Cane Toad (3:40)
12. Tuesday Night Sleuth (3:29)
13. Pie Warmer

Links:

www.cookinon3burners.com “Tight fatback drums pound away with tasty organ licks, pickin’ guitar and an overall sound that The Meters would have been proud of, can Freestyle Records do no wrong …” (Pete Isaac, Jelly Jazz)
www.myspace.com/cookinon3burners
www.freestylerecords.co.uk
www.thebamboos.com
www.myspace.com/thebamboos
Keb Darge www.myspace.com/kebdarge
Michael Cane - Slueth [1972] on www.imdb.com