“Does humor belong in music?” The title of a 1985 concert recording by Frank Zappa could, with a slight modification, also apply to the new album by Ona Kim & the Dirty Jazz: “Does irony belong in music?” The musicians answer that question on *Infinity Shakes* with a resounding “YES!”
You have to be quite accomplished to pull off the playful antics that saxophonist Kim stages on stage alongside Benoît Perraudeau on guitar, Eli Frot on piano, Paul Herry-Pasmanian on bass, and drummer Simon Lemonnier. Probably inadvertently labeled as “alternative,” the quintet plays a mix of jazz, indie rock, a few exotic influences, and small borrowings from the wealth of modern music history and the possibilities of studio technology.
The range of discoveries extends from a seemingly tipsy background accompaniment in “Habanera” to syncopated vocals in “Garbage Truck”—reminiscent of David Byrne and the Talking Heads—to tribal-like anthems in “Primitive Kings” (sic!). The cheerful, melodic “Love Fast” warps some guitar tones in the background, as if they were a voice-over commentary, and only “Ghost Whale” seems to be exempt from these little games—were it not for a sort of synthetic birdsong near the end that temporarily disrupts the flow.
The lyrics, too, give the impression that irony and cynicism are intentional parts of the mix—European jazz has its charming quirks. At the same time, the lyrics point to a shortcoming that has become all too common: the frustrating failure of record labels to produce booklets to accompany the albums, in which one can read the lyrics and where a few images add to the atmosphere.
“Infinity Shakes” by the Franco-Korean saxophonist Oan Kim and his band comprises a total of eleven tracks. They perform on a compact jazz club stage, where they feel very accessible. The atmosphere is so intimate that you’re almost tempted to pass the singer a beer.
When the last note fades away after exactly 44 minutes and 1 second, the fun takes a break. At least temporarily, since you can always press “Play” again. And one thing is certain:
It’s worth it! (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)
Oan Kim & the Dirty Jazz