Description

1LP Vinyl – KUJO001

Jazz survives gracefully into our modern age because of its flexibility as an art form. It flows through cultures and adapts with each new reinvention, thriving within or without structure. That's a perfect metaphor to introduce the sound of Mount Kujo's first self-titled studio album, the follow up to Live at Bar Oussou.
If the nucleus of the band was documented on that live recording from 2020, Mount Kujo's 2022 effort bears the fruit of hard work, introspection and musical growth. Their compositions have matured far beyond the monothematic "afrobeat orchestro" ideas that bandleader Max Myland brought to Melbourne's warmer cityscape from Berlin and now include elements of latin-rock, spiritual jazz and even drum 'n bass. The group has embraced the true spirit of being a musical collective: a living, breathing unit that adapts to its surroundings quickly, and boasts a confident studio prowess that has benefitted from their unconfined stage style.

Awkward attempts to secure band members by inviting them to a tombstone factory / rehearsal room in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, plus the insecurities of the last years meant Mount Kujo got used to operating as a loose collective. The idea of being comfortable to play and rehearse as a larger or smaller band came out of their compulsion to continue to be creative no matter what circumstances they found themselves in. Max recruited and bunkered down with the core composers of the band – keyboardist Phil Setton ("We talked about Steely Dan all night"), trombonist Tom Panckridge ("This band doesn't actually work on paper"), saxophonist Will Larsen ("Listening to Tom's solos is giving me permanent stank face") and drummer James Carman ("When we play together, it feels like this is what I'm on Earth to do") to compose the foundation of tunes that would become this exciting album, while leaving space for rotating members of the greater collective to add their own flavor in the mix.