Zu & Eugene Chadbourne - Cosmos

Perhaps you have the same problem I do. Perhaps you have always wanted to love the free guitar skronking of the maverick Eugene Chadbourne, but have been frustrated by the corny old tunes that he chooses to underpin his playing. Perhaps you just can't find the love for truckstop country & western or teenage psychedelia. Perhaps you sometimes wonder if he mightn't be the avant-garde's very own Weird Al, and wish he would just shut up and play. If so, today's track is for you.

Here we have Chadbourne backed by Italian jazz outfit Zu. They're a tight, punchy kind of group, with hard bass and drums and a surprising fluid and swinging trumpet. In short, this is exactly the sort of ensemble that someone like Chadbourne needs behind him. They provide a solid backing, and allow him to completely wig out without the music losing track of where it's going. Here they attempt a version of one of John Coltrane's earlier free jazz pieces, Cosmos and it works like a charm. And not a banjo in sight.