Classic Shell

This is the 2007 soundtrack album to the film Smokin' Aces. This features music by Common, Skull Snaps, The Stooges, Motörhead, Ennio Morricone and even The Genius, a mixture of old and new. This was released by Lakeshore via Universal.

One of the classic lineups in jazz is the organ trio—a unit that typically consists of Hammond organ, guitar or sax, and drums. The sound associated with this tradition is often marked by a joyously flowing funkiness. But the group on Breaking the Shell is a different kind of organ trio, one that plays minutely-textured free jazz. The excellent release features guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Andrew Cyrille, and—here's the instrumental gamechanger—Kit Downes on pipe organ. Opener "May 4th" quietly pulls you in with Downes's intriguing melodic fragments, Frisell's lyrical guitar, and Cyrille's brushed drums. The result is diffuse, but nevertheless hangs together, in part because of the effective use of quavering drones. In a way, "May 4th" is simply an interesting sketch, a slice of eerie ambience, but it also offers a glimpse of the inventive timbres and playing to come.

One of the classic lineups in jazz is the organ trio—a unit that typically consists of Hammond organ, guitar or sax, and drums. The sound associated with this tradition is often marked by a joyously flowing funkiness. But the group on Breaking the Shell is a different kind of organ trio, one that plays minutely-textured free jazz. The excellent release features guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Andrew Cyrille, and—here's the instrumental gamechanger—Kit Downes on pipe organ. Opener "May 4th" quietly pulls you in with Downes's intriguing melodic fragments, Frisell's lyrical guitar, and Cyrille's brushed drums. The result is diffuse, but nevertheless hangs together, in part because of the effective use of quavering drones. In a way, "May 4th" is simply an interesting sketch, a slice of eerie ambience, but it also offers a glimpse of the inventive timbres and playing to come.