Live : The Liquid Soul Tour

Album Review

With the release of four independently released CDs between 2005 and 2007, the Bay Area quartet quickly established a new, rootsy yet forward thinking sound that blends traditional, free-spirited jazz/fusion with an electronic element called "Cyber Jazz." Their influences were obvious. Bassist Andre Ajamu Akinyele vibed on Stanley Clarke and Me'Shell Ndegéocello. Multi-faceted keyboardist Jon O'Bergh drew from the progressive funk fusion of Herbie Hancock and somewhere floating in and around the mix was the pop-funk jazz spirit of Miles Davis. This live date — a mix of hard thumping, bass driven jazz and sensual old-school Rhodes-tinged hypnotic light funk — reflected the band's typical set list that included tracks from its 2007 Liquid Soul release and other originals from Akinyele's 2006 double solo CD Black Magic: The Cyber-Jazz Experience. In the midst of the melodic and trippy moodiness and traditional be-bop flavored originals like "Winter," there's the very accessible, smooth jazz oriented cover of Sade's "Hang on to Your Love" and exciting, thumping soul-jazz twists on "Fever" and "Take Five." True to its name, Gemini Soul has two faces, one steeped in old-school R&B, one in contemporary jazz, and that made for a fascinating listening experience for fans of either genre tired of the same old thing.