Nomo (Ypsilanti)
By Abel Folgar
Tuesday. Apr 19, 1:41 AM
Jazz music for kids who like punk rock and shake ass!

Nomo is not some cool, trendy, and ultimately hip way of saying “no more.” It is the surname of a famous baseball player, but it has nothing to do with him, his skill, or his millions... although some of those words will be repeated momentarily. Nomo is the brainchild of Elliot Bergman. This disc is 10 tracks of pure skill and a million musicians. Is it jazz? Is it world music? Is it Afro-Cuban? Is it alternative rock? The answer is yes across the board – and what a fantastic yes it is.

From the opening horns of “Discontinued” to the ending vocal harmonization of “La La La,” Nomo is the end result of 17 musicians (including members of The Creepers, Saturday Looks Good To Me, and the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra) going into a studio with the sole purpose of creating nothing short of vibrantly infectious music.

Anchored by deep and large percussion and brass sections, Nomo’s compositions maintain such steadiness and evenness that it is hard to believe so many people are involved. Can something this cool exist outside of a formal big band arrangement or a full-blown orchestra? This is jazz music for kids who like punk rock and shake ass!

There are moments of psychedelia a la early Santana (remember the freaking great tribal/Latin beats of Michael Carabello, Chepito Areas, and Orestes Vilató?) and the Pastorius attitude of equal treatment of all instruments, even during featured segments. Thank studio wiz producer Warn DeFever (of His Name Is Alive) and Bergman’s know-how. The packaging is beautiful and reminiscent of great DIY houses of the early ‘90s... Saturday Looks Good To Me frontman Fred Thomas’ Ypsilanti Records has done a fine job with this release.

Abel Folgar

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