Montreal drummer/percussionist Tommy Crane has built Dance Music for All Occasions (DMFAO) on a dance music framework, but with additional, layered and almost contrapuntal add-ons that are a little jazz, a little ambient, a little dreamy electronica. Rhythmically, Crane respects the beat, but has fun as he knows how, with inflections and textures. When you consider that Crane played with the Mingus Big Band and Aaron Parks’ Little Big Quartet, this DMFAO may seem linear. But we’re elsewhere, at least not in ultra-sophisticated jazz, and we have to accept the proposition. You have to embark on this panoramic musical trek, with its vibrant colors evoking several states of mind, all linked by a kind of amazement carried by a hyper-seductive groove. The only downside is that Tommy himself is often lost in the ensemble of sounds created. But don’t let this go against the aesthetic pleasure of this judiciously balanced urban chill album. Use it as a soundtrack for your morning run, and you’ll see how well it works.
