Music Notes: Broun sound

Not very often does a music group come along that can capture your attention and challenge your musical intellect.

Not often do many music groups compare to the Broun Fellinis, either.

The San Francisco-based trio has solidified itself into one of the most prolific acid jazz groups around, and has crossed over to the liking of even the novice jazz fan.

Front man David “Black Edgar Kenyatta” Boyce combines his melodic duality on both sax and keys, while the strength of the beat is derived from bassist Kirk “The Redeemer” Peterson and drummer Kevin “Professor Borris Karnaz” Carnes.

What sets the Fellinis apart from others in the jazz arena is their ability to transcend the music over its threshold and to advance even further.

The Fellinis have cultivated their own style whic roots are primarily grounded in heavy rhythm and an abundance of apt improvisational skills.

Although only a trio, the band’ssound is very full. While Boyce provides the harmonious riffs, he is not to be outdone by Carnes, who has enough ferociousness to take the music to another level. Yet he has the ability to maintain some subtleties in his playing that are crucial for stabilizing the groove and altering the dynamics of the music.

Peterson proves worthy as he pops, slaps, and runs his hands over the bass to provide a little something extra in the way of melody, yet has the uncanny skill to sustain the rhythm which provides a backdrop for each song.

Songs like “Bathsheeba Blue” and “Levitate” show how well the band can hypnotically take a song in any given direction, playing brisk melodies at one point or switching gears to dark, ominous, almost hostile sections of music that pull you into the more furious side of jazz. This is evident when Boyce switches from low notes to high notes in an instant that will make you jump out of your seat.

The true strength of the Fellinis is their capacity to experiment without discarding the core melody of a song behind.

Moments of flash surface in many of their tunes, but not to the point of listener exhaustion. In fact, it is difficult to escape their tightly developed grooves and tastefulness in improvisation because they put it on display from different angles ever time.

Chaotic at times but always stable in direction, the Fellinis are to jazz what Salvador Dali was to art. Both are very influential, but very hard to duplicate.

Both hover over the edge of insanity, yet still hold on to the rope of artistic discipline.

When the Fellinis take stage, it is not a question of whether or not they will take the music to another level, but rather how far they will take it.

If you are a fan of jazz music or at least a fan of music that challenges your musical existence, The Broun Fellinis are a band to take notice to.

The Fellinis experience is on display every Friday night at 10 p.m. at the Black Cat Jazz Club on Broadway in San Francisco.