Talibam! are the pairing of the musical mystery of Matt Mottel (vocals, keyboards) and Kevin Shea (drums and percussion) and their ESP-Disk debut, Boogie In The Breeze Blocks is a strange world of avant garde jazz-rock but this album isn’t easy to put into any sort of box.

The Brooklyn duo are joined by, Jon Irabagon (2008’s Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute winner) on tenor sax, Peter Evans of Sparks (trumpet), guitarists Chris Forsyth from Peeesseye, Anders Nilson and Chin Chin’s Jeremy Wilms, Mostly Other People Do the Killing’s Moppa Elliot (upright bass) and many more in a Zappaesque type concept fashion updated with a bit of space-funk.

As ever, the comedic skits prove annoying early on but Danielle Kuhlmann’s vocals on the opener, after the lengthily drum intro and the Sun-Ra keys signpost that these guys are seriously out there. Not quite Chrome Hoof but the horns on ‘Ghost Cloud’ turns up their jazz side; and get the sleeve notes, “Talibam! wants to re-mythicise this world with an album that explores a range of emotions, genre, feel, time and space”. So Sun Ra? or Clinton - ‘Slap Yr Boots On! Oysters Await’.

Not forgeting some Captain Beefheart psych-blues-poetry (‘Entertaining The After Beast’) and some Doors/DFA rock-out on their tribute to composer/improviser/producer Jim O’Rourke, (‘Jim O’Rourke’), this album has it all; even the quantum theory of superposition in free-jazz reggae form (‘Schroeder Meets Jagger’) and clothing removal (‘Roosevelt Island: I Can’t Do It’).

It’s been out a while but they are shortly starting a European tour visiting Holland, Germany, Italy and France (11th September to 17th October) and you’d hope that they’d have a chance to visit the UK (these guys are so Unsafe).

Prepare yourself for a loud album in more ways than one as the Talibam! finally have found their spiritual home at ESP-Disk.

Reviewed: Talibam! - Boogie In The Breeze Blocks (ESP Disk) Cat. No: ESP 4055 Release date: 25th May 2009
Tracklisting:
1 Predetermined To The Master Plan (4:17)
2 Ghost Cloud (3:17)
3 Slap Yr Boots On! Oysters Await (2:50)
4 Entertaining The After Beast (5:20)
5 Jim O’Rourke (6:53)
6 Schroeder Meets Jagger (5:33)
7 Not Just Any Kind Of Fruit And Veg (1:41)
8 Movement Of Ta! People (0:58)
9 Roosevelt Island: I Can’t Do It. (1:11)
10 Mao Mix (4:46)
11 Nike Rim Johb (6:24)
12 Herodiade (3:43)

Links:
www.trashfactory.net/talibam
www.myspace.com/talibam
www.espdisk.com