B11 have just released their self-titled debut album. A professional funk-jazz trio based in Boston, B11 offer original music as well as very unique arrangements of well known standard by recognizable names like Stevie Wonder, Henry Mancini, Lou Donaldson, and Sam Rivers. So, what about B11? Their instrumental music will take you places you never imagined, and likely will never travel to again with any other band. Inventive and skillful, they do things their own way.
This trio has the audacity to bring surf music influences, and many other elements, to great film scores like “The Pink Panther.” They also have the talent to make it work and hence to get away with it. The trio open their debut album with their take on Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn Theme.” The B11 arrangement pulsates with a funky beat while offering a surf influenced riff fest from guitarist Boyan Hristov. Hristov, who writes all of the originals on this album, steadily picks off rapid fire notes from his six string as his rhythm section drives him on with persistent groove.
Hristov’s original “Surf Spaghetti” is a mysteriously influenced piece of guitar work. American bands from the early 1960s come to mind as Hristov picks his tone laden notes. Each one of those little sound buggers has a sprightly life of its own. Eventually, he picks up the pace, marching those brittle notes around his melody line with an eerie precision. It’s almost like a domino effect in sound.
Drummer Mike Levesque and bass player Brian Holtz put out a pushy groove on the trio’s interpretation of Mancini’s “The Pink Panther.” The metronome perfection of that drum beat and the fills over it is nearly hypnotic, compelling the listener to pay closer attention. Smooth touches of bass runs create that original feeling of the cartoon sleuthing his way around. All the while Hristov picks the melodic line with snappy precision, making the notes dance around the groove with a touch or elegance and a bit of attitude.
It isn’t fair to call Levesque and Holtz a rhythm section. They’re not even close to being sidemen here. They are equal partners in applying colors and tones through subtle, tasteful touches as well as advanced, sophisticated techniques.
Original number “Boyan’s Bolero” makes you envision a gunfighter standoff in a small Mexican town. There’s a campy feeling that suggest the trio might be mocking something they heard on a Sergio Leone film score. Guest percussionist Eric German Rodriguez keeps a good pattern going with his congas, hitting with the bass notes at the right moment to thicken a delicious sound. Hristov’s guitar notes ring out with a western film score timbre in their tone. It’s just a tightly played instrumental that makes you admire the composer’s ability to create mood and feeling with a few simple notes.
Steve Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” gets the B11 treatment. Respectful of the original but eager to try their own thing, B11 elevate the melodic line by playing it with taste and sensitivity, the bass approaching the smooth, flowing eloquence of jazz.
“Alligator Boogaloo” is surf music made danceable. The trio actually take Lou Donaldson’s funky-jazz masterpiece and play the original saxophone melody line on the electric guitar with a surf influence. Hristov’s snappy brittle notes are brilliantly executed while the rhythm boys march it along with a low key persistence.
Another original B11 tune, “Waltz In A,” makes you feel the trio is raining beautiful notes down on you. Hristov pays out a string of warm, tuneful notes in his melodic line. He makes his guitar sing out their emotive notes during the break. You get the feeling that this band has played a lot of live gigs and are accustomed to keeping the entertainment value high. It’s uncanny how the Holtz and Levesque shadow Hristov, not only musically but in the warm feeling of the music.
Chicks dig B11
Original “The Gospel Of Me” makes its way into a listeners consciousness like an old friend sitting down next to you for a heart to heart conversation. There’s a respectfulness between the players as they seem to coax more out of each other as the song progresses. Hristov plays a sweet tender melody and Holtz plays a gentle, warm bass line that envelops it. Levesque continuously puts forth a sensitive beat. The chemistry is undeniable.
The Sam Rivers songs “Beatrice” features some exquisite guitar work. Hristov shows his more serious, sensitive side as he nimbly picks a kind of purity out of his melody. Levesque hits tasteful notes with his sticks while Holtz pressed out a companionable low end. Together, they do justice to this classic through their chemistry and their music’s personality.
“Funky Mama” by John Patton is a mid-tempo glide through brittle guitar licks, bracing rhythmic support, and an ineffable quality found in the colors. Instead of red hot funk noise the trio paints a wide swath of warm pink. The feeling is wider than the original because the three are being expansive as well as subtle. The closer one listens, the more one hears, notices. Hristov picks some tenderness in between the hip movement conjured by the bass and drums. The contrast makes both seem brighter, more accessible, and more expansive. It’s just a kaleidoscope of possibilities with these guys.
Henry Mancini’s “Moon River” gets a respectful interpretation and Irving Fields’ “Miami Beach Rhumba” will make you want to tap your toes to every nuanced rhythmic line. Rodriguez is back with his bongos, joining Ron Bayless on congas and their Latin rhythm makes a great counterpoint to Hristov’s snaky guitar line. The Rafael Hernandez composition “Perfume De Gardenias” will still have couples slow dancing in the moonlight.
B11 draws a crowd
Original “The One Note Piano” is prog-funk, with Hristov’s guitar sounding wah-wah, switching back and forth with an electric piano effect. The short fun piece segues right into the trio’s closing number, “Boyan’s New Tune.” The trio put some serious effort into their thoughtful closing piece. They build towards a shimmering guitar break before hitting a mountain peak of exciting guitar high notes. This prog-rock at its finest.
Bassist Tom Appleman plays on four tracks and he also finds a chummy chemistry with Hristov and Levesque.
B11 are into something really cool. Not only do they showcase a lot of skillful musicianship, they keep things fun and interesting. Listeners who might not usually go for instrumental music could find something enjoyable here. The trio’s rangy talents and variety of musical influences insure they’ll be experimenting in the studio and on stage for years to come.
