The 1980s fusion/rock jazz holds its own in No Goats by the Ottawa quartet Finely Tuned Elephants. The band was formed in 2019 and has already released two albums. This No Goats is therefore the third. One can conclude, by listening to the overall musical evolution of the band, that this third opus offers a more finely crafted exploration of the parameters of traditional jazz fusion.
You can feel a cohesion that has condensed into a solid mortar. One can also perceive the humour and easygoing attitude of the group members, which is reflected in the album’s title and cover (No Goats refers to an exclusive club for elephants only, where four goats sneak in, disguised as pachyderms). I particularly like the sometimes fancy flights of keyboard by Alex Lugli.
Nothing, really, to reinvent the genre here, but what these four Ottawans do, they do well.
Electric guitar: Jordan Robinson
Bass: Cyrus Robertson Orkish
Drums and percussion: Kyle Iveglia
Piano: Alex Lugli
