Jazz is not dead, it has just shifted hands. Shifted states, shifted continents really. From Japan comes Soil & "Pimp" Sessions and their "Pimp Master", which may sound like a vulgar name, and may turn off many from even considering this recording. But, this set of high quality swinging big band Jazz, with an ultra funky flare, is delicious. The band strings together a set of 15 songs highlighting their unique blend of Jazz influences into one camp-fire tinged (quite literally) record of cosmic proportions.



When listening to these six musicians rip out track after track one can imagine that one might hear them either in the darkest, dankest, dirtiest basement, or in the swankiest, sweetest, most sophisticated Jazz house. Their expertise are quite evident; although they might not innovate like some of Jazz's finest, they can make a stew heavy with improvisation, experimental explorations, and roof rattling horn choruses.



The band met at a club in 2001 and then formed the band playing festivals with rave reviews all around. They garnered the interest of record labels quickly and started shattering boundaries between rock, club, and jazz crowds. They play exclusively as a live band, utilizing just their instruments to create their high-energy Jazz sound.



Right from the start with the song "No Taboo" the band displays it's vigor and liveliness with shrieking horns, intense piano, and the break neck direction of high powered drumming. The song follows the same course any instrumental jazz tune might take; starting with the theme, adding a nice contrast, then switching from improvised solos back to the rollicking chorus. "No Taboo" sounds like a Hawaiian torch-lit show dangling from a boiling volcano; the louder and faster the band can play, while still remaining disciplined, the higher the rope is raised to safety. Soil & "Pimp" Sessions choose to burn it up rather than to end up back on the banal "dry land".



On "Waltz For Goddess" the sextet slows things down but manages to keep that ever present flare for oddity in their songs. A shimmering waltz begins while horns are layered on top of one another in flaming chorus'. The piano creates a stark contrast again, while still remaining in the ripping waltz time, then returns back to the bright chorus. It's less erratic than some of the previous songs and it opens their overall oeuvre of capabilities.



The band has a taste for every element of the Jazz genre; from experimentation, to blues, to waltz, to laid back ballads, these guys cover it all. What remains high on their list though is the ability to sound more like a cohesive unit than just a group of seasoned Jazzies. The songs give lots of room for improvisation and for soloing but the band is always listening, and always on the lookout to raise the intensity of the choruses past their apex. Although the name may be quite humorous to some, "Pimp Master" is no laughing matter; it's not only a very strong addition to the grand tradition of Jazz, it makes the music fresh and alive again.



Track Listing

1 Pimp Master

2 No Taboo

3 Filter

4 Suffocation

5 Stinger

6 Waltz For Goddess

7 Avalanche

8 A Wheel Within A Wheel

9 J.D.F. #

10 Low Life

11 No Matter

12 Mo' Better Blues

13 Wasted Time

14 Master Of Pimp

15 Hirameku Yaiba