Tribute to the Groove by Brasstactics
Imagine a world in which ‘70s jazz rock stalwarts Chicago fell into a time warp and emerged with their sound augmented with dollops of funk, rap, hip hop and soul, and they would likely bear a striking resemblance to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada’s Brasstactics, a group that has crisscrossed their homeland making a name for themselves as an in-demand, good-time party ensemble.
Their debut album, Tribute to the Groove, stays true to that high-spirited ethos, with nine energetic tracks fusing their brassy, New Orleans influenced jazz with a pastiche of modern sounds. What could be incoherent is more often intriguing, as the strutting “Regal” unexpectedly breaks into rap, the ‘30s swing of “Bad Guy” includes an audio sample, and “Runaway Baby” is James Brown inspired funk, lacking only a vocal from the Godfather of Soul. The fittingly titled album stays true to the groove, and the result is a refreshing take on a tried-and-true musical form.
