CHAINSAW JAZZ
Mark Gilbert • Ed Maguire • Christian Nagle • Paul Sears • Mark Smoot • Mark Stanley


DISCONCERTO



RUNE 46

Chainsaw Jazz were an instrumental band that featured the drumming of ex-Muffin Paul Sears, with strong contributions on guitar, violin/electric mandolin, sax, and bass. They certainly had their own compositional sound, but for reference points you might describe them as a combination of Brand X and Dr. Nerve, with a bit of Arti E Mestieri and (not surprisingly) The Muffins tossed in.

"Although DisConcerto was Chainsaw Jazz's sole album, it helped defined the sound of their label Cuneiform Records (at least one end of their spectrum). The ex-Muffins drummer Paul Sears and his acolytes deliver very complex and ultra-fast progressive-oriented instrumental tunes in the three to five minutes range, an aesthetic other Cuneiform bands like Forever Einstein and Rattlemouth have adopted. The difference resides in the fact that Chainsaw Jazz is funkier and jazzier, thus getting closer to the spirit of Frank Zappa's music than any of their label mates (his influence is best heard on "Mad Whiskey Bitch"). Mark Gilbert often overdubs his sax parts (Christian Nagle's guitar often doubles him too), giving the impression of a jazz brass section. The guitar is crunchy and isn't scared of sounding heavy (as on "Momentary Discomfort"), while the violin's phrasing of Ed Maguire betrays classical training. The music is close to Amsterdam's avant-rock band Blast, minus the typical Holland-esque silliness and the more chamber rock side of the band, plus a good dose of American humor and strong fusion jazz influence. Due to Chainsaw Jazz's quick disappearance, this album has been overlooked, but it has much to offer to avant-prog fans." – AllMusic

"This is a new music fusion revelling on a plane unto itself...few "jazz" (and I use the term loosely) ensembles achieve such a potent level of emotional and sonic clarity." - The Daily Californian


Paul is also a member of The Muffins

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