Spiritual advisors

Miracle Orchestra jam the jazz groove

by John O'Neill

It was bound to happen sooner or later, and it's actually surprising that it hadn't been attempted before -- at least to this extent. But it took a bunch of freewheeling kids called the Miracle Orchestra

to put together a sound that is currently the most exciting stuff on the jam/groove circuit. Not content to regurgitate the spirit of Jerry and his band of meandering noodlemeisters, these boys from Boston have gone back to the original masters of spacing out and jamming -- guys with names like Coltrane, Mingus, and Davis. By solidly fusing the realm of groove rock to the backbone of jazz, the Miracle Orchestra have snapped a line between the two genres. So, while this may seem an odd coupling on the surface, it's actually a perfect fit. The band, unlike most of their contemporaries, don't skate between genres but rather suck many disparate influences in, like some music-theory Electrolux, to incorporate and reintroduce it as something totally new.

"I'm a little afraid of the word `jazz,' cause we aren't what people think of -- like be-bop or standards," says drummer and unofficial spokesman Bill Carbone, while on break from doing his laundry. "There are so many things we listen to, and I want to play in front of bigger audiences than the jazz crowd. I'd rather be called a rock-and-roll band. Then people will give us a shot."

Carbone and guitarist/vocalist Geoff Scott, who are childhood pals and longtime bandmates ("We weren't that good"), started the Miracle Orchestra after relocating from their Connecticut digs to attend college. Scott enrolled at Berklee, while Carbone eventually landed at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he recruited the rest of the band, in 1996. Originally a six-piece unit, the Miracle Orchestra built a fan base by playing as often as possible, anywhere they could. The next two years they crisscrossed New England to play colleges, small clubs, larger music halls, festivals, and the occasional coffeehouse. Their unique formula landed them gigs at venues as diverse as the Iron Horse, Middle East Cafe, Mama Kin, and the House of Blues, and culminated with a nine-song CD, Coalescence (released in 1998), shortly before the band scaled down to a four-piece.

"I'm happy with the CD because it represents what we were. It also represents our first studio attempt that was longer and costlier than it should have been," says Carbone with a laugh. "But it's great to have. It doesn't really represent us now, we've taken those ideas and gone further with them."

Opening with the five-plus-minute "Boob," the band immediately get to work on a collective groove that finds them atom-smashing funk guitar and world backbeat to a neo-bop-meets-cool-jazz brass section that stretches out and eventually dovetails into the more jam-influenced "Call It Nine."

"The Lions' Den" marries a subtle Afro-Cuban rhythm to the spare and leisure saxophone of Jared Sims, while both "He" and "She" are suites that experiment with jazz, Afro-Cuban, reggae, and groove rock all within the confines of the same songs. It is a varied, passionate, and extremely dramatic dynamic that the Miracle Orchestra create, and comparisons to Weather Report, at least in terms of pushing convention, are not out of line. But while the band may be incorporating drips of Phish with dabs of Freddie Hubbard, they are able to retain a sound that is certainly their. It is relatively fresh, creatively carried out, and listener friendly.

"I really love getting to play all this different music in one night," says Carbone. "I love the big open spaces. The only negative [about becoming a foursome rather than a sextet] is that sometimes we don't have the same power. It feels like we're sprinting rather than jogging. Now everyone is involved 100 percent of the time, rather than standing around [during solos]. The new tunes are written with one horn in mind."

Now that the Miracle Orchestra have been able to get their foot in the door, after two solid years of touring, they plan to lie low for a while, concentrate on writing and picking their live spots. A Somerville Theatre gig is currently in the works, and a second disc isn't too far off. You can get your fix of their beautiful stream-of-consciousness music this Saturday, when they play the Tammany Club with Foxtrot Zulu.

Local Buzz

The home office is sad to announce the passing of drummer Hugh O'Neill. A skin pounder for a number of area outfits, O'Neill is best-known for his work with Boston/New Hampshire punk-legends, the Queers (whose release Don't Back Down was nominated as album of the year for 1997's Worcester Phoenix Best Music Poll). Though most will remember him as a member of one of the hardest-rockin', hardest-druggin' bands in recent memory, it should be noted that O'Neill's greatest achievement was winning his sobriety -- even after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. That's guts. Wormtown pop giants Huck have had their option for a second album picked up by Boston indie, Orcaphat Records. (The recent three song demo we heard was better than 1998's Honeywagon. How good can a band get?) Bassist Dave Robinson, who flew the coop for a job in Vancouver, will complete all bass/backing vocal parts from his new local. In related news, the band have received a friendly call from the A&R folks at Mercury Records, who stumbled across their cut "Wey-Ah-Hey" on a recent compilation album (that also included Boston big-shots the Amazing Crowns, Ramona Silver, Cake Like, and New Jersey's hidden gem, Evelyn Forever), and liked what they heard. As it stands, Huck will look for a new touring bassist, while Robinson will remain with the group on future in-studio projects. The late, should-have-been-great Halobox will release a posthumous CD sometime before the end of '99. Then we can get upset all over again. Meanwhile, HB-alum Pete DeGraaf, Chris Popecki, and John Ledoux are currently working together on new material.