www.modelcitizensbigband.com

BRIAN O'HERN and the MODEL CITIZENS BIG BAND
PARTY, PARTY, PARTY
by Jack Bowers

Brian O'Hern is hip. I mean really hip. Really bad. On Party, Party, Party he has assembled the nucleus of some pretty good music. And if you don't think so, he has the thunderous applause (canned, naturally) to prove it. There are times when O'hern's quirky compostions coax a smile, others when they summon forth and involuntary shudder. In either case he is trying to be clever.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But he never stops trying -- sort of like the kid in the third grade who couldn't keep his thoughts to himself but was always wise cracking behind the teacher's back as if to say, "Hey, look at me! Aren't I cute?" Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If one is willing to accept the music on O'Hern's terms -- resolutely tongue in cheek -- much of it isn't bad at all. But I can't imagine its having much staying power, as there isn't a great deal of substance to digest after the jokes have worn thin. O'Hern's charts are eclectic and difficult to describe with any reasonable degree of accuracy, embodying elements of Jazz, rock, fusion, funk electronics, and even an occasional hint of the classical. The opener "Cue-T" (how's that for an omen?), which sways to an elemental rock-style two-beat, is awash in synthesized debris. "Catfish Jump," an old-fashioned cooker, has much more to offer including a spendid guitar solo by Allemana, some scorching high-note trumpet work (by Garrison, I assume) and solid drumming by Biskis preceding another round of pre-recorded "audience" appreciation. "Yummy Custard" also has its moments: a hummable melody (reminiscent of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"), fine ensemble work and, for good measure, a brief quote from "Pagliacci." After an unpromisisng beginning, "Hobo Shopping Network" settles into a bustling groove in which more quotes are heard including snatches of "Die Valkure" and the "Stars and Stripes Forever" (followed by the most egregious example of ersatz applause). "Party, Party, Party" is in the style of a Caribbean steel-drum band with the ensemble doubling as chorus, while "Peaches" is from O'Hern's New Orleans trad book (with yet another quote, this time the theme from "Dragnet"). "Chicks and Money," which opens as a quasi-Gregorian chant, includes a passage from "My Wild Irish Rose," of all things. Carl Kagy sings and scats on "Ants" and "Love Food," which owe their inspiration to such hipsters as Dave Frishberg, Jimmy Rowles, Mose Allison, Bob Dorough and others. O'Hern unlimbers the stride piano on "No Snacks," plays it mainly straight on "Legs," and closes with veilied allusions to Charles Ives on "Not Ives/Dawn at Dusk." Some interesting moments, to be sure, but most assuredly not for everyone.