JAZZWEEK
March 12, 2007

Department Of Good And Evil

YOU NEVER KNOW what you are going to get when you pop on a Rachel Z CD. The pianist moves from straight-ahead to pop to fusion to classical. Here under the ominous nom de plume Department Of Good And Evil, Z is joined by her regular working trio of bassist Maeve Royce (22 and
making her recording debut!), longtime drummer Bobby Rae as well as electric bassist Tony Levin and trumpeter Erik Naslund. Much of the source material is drawn from pop, goth rock and some other obscure indie rock places, but the music is steadfastly accessible jazz, punctuated by Z's robust lines and Rae's muscular rhythms. Highlights include the buoyant "Lakme" (taken from a French opera), an unrecognizable version of the Police's "King Of Pain" and Death Cab For Cutie's "Soul Meets Body." Moldy figs will likely gravitate to the band's take on Joe Henderson's knotty "Inner Urge."

- Tad Hendrickson