A funky quintet based out of Richmond, Virginia, the Modern Groove Syndicate has created a unique sound guaranteed to make your head spin, soul stir, and ass shake. Their genre defying sound is a veritable gumbo of funk, jazz, latin, soul, hip-hop, and whatever else they might have been listening to that day.

What began as a trio in the beginning of 1998, then a quartet by the fall of the same year, and finally a quintet in the summer of 2001, the Modern Groove Syndicate is primarily an instrumental group relying heavily on composition, improvisation, and their own unique brand of energy and individual talents to get their point across.

While the groups influences are all over the map, one can hear elements of P-Funk, John Cage, Brecker Brothers, the Crusaders, Jimmy Smith, and the Meters within their sound. Five musical powerhouses coming together to take the listener on a journey the likes of which he or she has never experienced before, that is the Modern Groove Syndicate.

The Modern Groove Syndicate has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with a wide variety of Bands. Some of them include- Cracker, The Tom Tom Club, The Samples, Dr. Didg, Agents of Good Roots, Ulu, Jimmies Chicken Shack, Eddie From Ohio, Zen Tricksters, Ike Willis & Project Object, Lake Trout, Schleigho, and Moon Boot Lover.

MGS includes members of national recording acts such as Agents of Good Roots, Moterico, and Buzby.

JamBands.com 12/29/03
"This greatly matured incarnation of Modern Groove Syndicate has produced a brilliant album that ranges in flavor from jazz to dub and from Mahavishnu Orchestra to Sesame Street while never losing touch with its foundations in the steamy funk of New Orleans." Brian Gearing

The Richmond, VA-based jazz/funk quartet Modern Groove Syndicate stepped back into the studio this week for the first time in three years. On a quiet farm in Orange, VA, the band gathered for a four day session of recording and mixing. The farmhouse/recording studio is packed to the gills with vintage instruments and recording equipment, and one literally has to climb over rare equipment, microphones and sound dampening walls to navigate the recording space and console room.

The new album takes bold strides in new directions for the band. Bringing together material the band has been working out live over the past year, the album combines well-orchestrated grooves with room for improvisation. Several tracks are thick with overdubbing, which allows a breadth of sound the previous albums have not known.

Saxophonist JC Kuhl sets aside his tenor on a number of tunes, picking up alto, soprano and baritone saxophones as well as flute and clarinet. The variety of instruments is noticeable immediately, with the baritone sax rumbling out the lowest tones like a foghorn, only to be cut through with screaming alto solos.

Daniel Clarke's piano playing shines on many of the tunes, with greasy B-3 grooves augmented by Clavinet, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Micro-Korg and Melodica to an astonishing effect. "The Original Mack," one of the band's newer tunes, is a raging groove that grabs your attention from the get-go with a pissed-off organ hook and fast paced saxophone solos.

In-the-pocket bassist Todd Herrington lays a solid foundation for the band to build on, showing remarkable subtlety as well as a penchant for heavy slap lines on his Alembic. While he can casually hang back and provide a supporting role, listening to "Junebug" you'll feel him slap those chops right in your face. The stand-out difference in Herrington's bass playing is his versatility. He switches effortlessly from thumping backbeats to swinging jazz guitar strumming. He often matches fills with the drummer that flash up and down the neck, and maintains a look of practiced confidence throughout.

Drummer Joel DeNunzio hits jazz, funk and rock and roll rhythms that keep the band at a full sprint throughout many tunes. Strongest in raging moments, his fills and rolls possess both dexterity and a strong sense of timing.

This is not a smooth-jazz band. While the song structure and improvisation stem from a jazz sensibility, the tunes are meaty and often agressive. The heavy organ and electric bass matched with four-on-the-floor drumming supercharge the organic tunes with a wide variety of diesel-electric voicings. The songs are well scripted, and while they can be quite complex, a steady groove based out of the blues and rock and roll keeps your foot tapping and fingers snapping throughout.

The album is scheduled for release late this summer, it's third album after 2004's Vessel and their 2002 self-titled debut release with guitarist Frank Jackson. The band plays weekly in Richmond and tours the East Coast regularly, with a number of festival dates scheduled for the summer.

 ©David Klemencic - Jambands.com