Buzzin Music Blog

The Voodoo Trombone Quartet – Vibrations EP – Review

So much success did the The Voodoo Trombone Quartet’s music receive when it was released under the guise of being ‘rediscovered’ old originals, that producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Thorpe was pretty much forced into forming an 8-piece live band and releasing the tracks for real under the name of The Voodoo Trombone Quartet through the Freshly Squeezed Music label.

The Voodoo Trombone Quartet: Vibrations EP

Now, with their status becoming a little less cult and little more exult(…ed) by their music featuring in TV shows (Ugly Betty, The Paper) and appearing in the outer fringes of download chart (so commercial), The Voodoo Trombone Quartet return with the Vibrations EP, which anticipates their second full length to come in the new year.

The Vibrations EP is an instrumental EP featuring lots of brass, pumping bass and skizzy drums. Combining the sounds of big-band, ska, the sixties and acid-jazz they’re a big group and they make a big sound.

First track ‘Vibrations’ sounds almost Yiddish before the chant ‘Vibration…vibration…vibration’ comes in, and the thick bass takes the track through its various brass spurts, funky guitar riffs and then back again to its roots. It’s a head-song, a dark jazz club song or a carnival song. It must be said ,though, that the bass is very modern, and conflicts a bit with the sixties sound that is more pleasing.

On the flip side of the Vibrations EP there is ‘Do It Your Own Way’, which goes down the ska alley and comes out trumpets blazing – cheeky saxophones jumping out of its hip drum rhythms and sliding jazz-organ.

The Vibrations EP then finishes off with ‘Millionaire’s Holiday’, a hybrid of the two previous tracks. Off-beat keyboards and vocals meet a furiously fast-paced drum mess, creating a Latin-tinged acid-jazz like track. It’s a summery end to a summery EP.

The Voodoo Trombone Quartet almost does what it says on the package – they mix chant-like music and rhythms (Voodoo) with a bit of brass (Trombone)…but there are eight of them (no Quartet). They’re almost brilliant and will appeal to fans of The Cat Empire and Manu Chao for their worldy, upbeat fusion of styles, but don’t try to look too deeply into it or you risk finding things you don’t like.

The Vibrations EP is available on iTunes, Amazon etc. and as a limited edition 10” vinyl. For more info and to take a listen visit their MySpace.