Michael Mantler Review

Michael Mantler apparently conceived Alien as a kind of concerto for trumpet and orchestra but with ex-Mothers of Invention keyboardist Don Preston substituting for the orchestra on various synthesizers and drum machines. The musical style will be familiar to listeners who know Mantler's other work: a mixture of dark, brooding textures (rarely melodies as such) and the occasional rhythmic surge with one foot strongly planted in the art rock world of bands like Henry Cow.

Karen Mantler and her crew follow up their debut with more of the same: sort-of jazz coupled with way off-kilter pop, all filtered through her bizarre and pervasive sense of humor. The band is the same, featuring the progeny of several famous jazz musicians, and of course Karen's pet cat Arnold is present for all the cover art.

Kip Hanrahan (born December 9, 1954) is an American jazz music impresario, record producer and percussionist. Hanrahan was born in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in the Bronx to an Irish-Jewish family. He has an unusual role in the albums released under his name, one which he has analogized to that of a film director. He assembles players and materials, combining modern/avant-garde/free jazz figures like Don Pullen and Steve Swallow, Latin jazz players such as Milton Cardona and Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, and occasionally rock musicians like Sting, Jack Bruce and Grayson Hugh, also Bassist,singer,song writer,producer Fernando Saunders.