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Billy Mohler: Anatomy

By John Chacona
July 2, 2022
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Can we please retire the old clich�� about jazz from Los Angeles being limp, wan and bland? One listen to pianist

Cameron Graves

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Cameron Graves' slamming metal-jazz or to the jittery complexity of

David Binney

saxophone, alto
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">David Binney's recent releases should be enough to torch that outdated canard. Now comes bassist

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Mohler with Anatomy, 43 minutes of amped-up, torqued-out energy that pulses with the elevated heart-rate of first-wave punk rock.

That's no accident. Mohler is a pop music pro, a Grammy nominee whose resume glitters with names like Liz Phair, Lady Gaga, Sia and Steven Tyler. He's a member of the

Jimmy Chamberlin

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, a side project of the

The Smashing Pumpkins

" data-original-title="" title="">The Smashing Pumpkins' drummer, where he plays alongside

Chris Speed

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Speed, whose leathery tenor saxophone shares the front line with trumpeter

Shane Endsley

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Shane Endsley. As a member of

Kneebody

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Kneebody, another L.A. band, Endsley is at home in the borderlands where jazz, punk and electronics tussle on equal terms. Kneebody drummer

Nate Wood

drums
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Nate Wood completes Mohler's pianoless quartet, and his churning restlessness is essential to Anatomy's sound. If

Jack DeJohnette

drums
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Jack DeJohnette had come up in SoCal pop/punk bands, he might have sounded like this.

Wood and Mohler have been friends since childhood and their hookup is airtight. The bassist likes to begin songs by setting a fidget-spinner ostinato in motion then hurtle forward with Wood in a hair-trigger game of musical Mario Kart. On top, the heads are insistent, often modal and voiced in unison. They push their way through the jostling rhythm led by Endsley's golden searchlight tone. His solo turns soar with focused power while Speed makes gritty arguments on tenor. They are excellent foils for each other.

Mohler's fondness for vamps recalls the

Dave Holland

bass
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Holland bands of the 1980s and '90s, but dialed up to reflect the stress and velocity of urban life in the 2020s. Yet under the ceaseless, whirling activity of this music lies an anxiety with—maybe even a rebuke of—the tension and emptiness of existence in our always-on, always-hustling world. If this world was created in California, it's fitting that Billy Mohler's tough-minded and urgent music comes straight outta L.A.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Abstract 1; Fight Song; Nightfall; Equals; Abstract 2; Perseverance; Exit; Abstract 3; Speed Kills; Moonglow.

Personnel

Billy Mohler

bass

Shane Endsley

trumpet

Chris Speed

saxophone

Nate Wood

drums

Album information

Title: Anatomy | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Contagious Music

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