As a drummer, Drumm focuses on leadership, textural slants and acutely placed dynamics. You won't hear Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra) type polyrhythmic bombs as the band fuses more of a streamlined jazz element into the picture, abetted by highs, lows and groove-centric pieces. They throttle the flows and pitch amid high-impact solos by powerhouse saxophonist Frank Catalano, for example. With the formidable dual guitar attack of Corey Christiansen and Fred Hamilton to complement the three-man horn section, the production offers a multifarious slant on the fusion genre, containing warmth, climactic opuses and in-the-pocket cadences.
Drumm lays down a firm rock pulse during "Indi Funk," to set the stage for the guitarists' distortion tinged guitar parts and some blustery trombone lines by Mike Brumbaugh, segueing to the hornists' tight-knit unison choruses, shaped with an Indo-funk topping. No doubt, the musicians project a feel-good vibe, yet get down and dirty on the towering guitar-heavy blues piece "Not Whatever." However, on "Detours," Axel Tosca Laugart imparts a Miles Davis fusion era electric keyboard sound, generating memories of either Chick Corea or Joe Zawinul's darting notes, touched with a rough-hewn shade of darkness.
The musicians receive copious soloing opportunities, including the snaky "Pulled Pork Sandwich," where Memphis style horns and a peppery New Orleans shuffle beat carve a path for Catalano's popping lines and Pete Grimaldi's expressive muted –trumpet voicings. It all culminates in an unfettered sense of optimism. And they close it out on a somber note with the drifting ballad "Return."
Drumm doesn't reinvent the wheel. More importantly, he intimates a holistic view of the jazz-fusion genre with a solid track mix that sustains interest, partly due to the artists' emphatic soloing spots, alternating rhythmic currents, and divergent compositional approach. Drumm also utilizes the group-centric methodology to the utmost degree, as everyone gets their day in the sun during the buoyantly moving parts.
