Uncle Bruno

Uncle Bruno owes a heavy debt to New Orleans funk and jammers Galactic, but the local quintet’s roots extend deeper, to the bands of jazz fusion pioneers like Billy Cobham and Herbie Hancock. Locally that brand of jazz has seen a renaissance of sorts thanks to Topaz & Mudphonic and the Greyhounds, and led by the saxophone blast of Damon Garcia and slink and screech of guitarist Matt Kincaid, this Uncle fits in nicely. The group’s seven-song debut offers solid, if at times repetitious, grooves which vary from the near Zappa-esque “Play Nice” to the Booker T. soul of “Bobo Twins,” featuring the Drop Trio’s Ian Varley sitting in on organ. “Judge a Book” is the disc’s highlight; fatback bass leads the way for a mellifluous horn duet between Garcia and trombonist Allen Sanders, while Kincaid’s skronk builds to a beautiful, butt-shaking mess.

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This article appears in November 27 • 2009.

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