Single of the Week: The Take Vibe E.P.
After a summer-long hiatus from the blog, I’m re-committing myself to sharing music worthy of your attention. This one is really special and a great way to relaunch.
In a truly inspired move, musician Lawrence Mason blended two of his biggest influences, new wave stalwarts The Stranglers and jazz innovator Dave Brubeck. Handling both saxophone and piano duties, Mason deftly weaves together The Strangler’s well-loved 1981 single “Golden Brown” and Brubeck’s stone classic “Take Five,” finding common ground in each song’s unconventional meter (“Golden Brown” is a twisted 12/8 waltz, while “Take Five” swings in 5/4). Mason filters “Golden Brown’s” keyboard lead through “Take Five” and even quotes the saxophone solo at mid-point. Josh Cavanaugh-Brierley (bass) and John Settle (drums) round out the trio. Just delightful; a highly recommended tonic for these troubled times.
Originally recorded live and uploaded to YouTube, the song received a million plays before catching the attention of Jazz Room Records label owner Paul Murphy who asked outright, “Do you wanna record that and release it?” The result is this funky, jazzy, and utterly charming take. For good measure, the single is backed by a sparkling bass-led rendition of The Police’s “Walking on the Moon.”
Physical and digital copies of the vinyl single are now in stock and shipping via Take Vibe’s Bandcamp page.
Editor’s note: This blog post contains criticism and commentary. We do not monetarily benefit—nor seek monetary benefit—by writing about our favorite music and including images and videos featuring the amazing artists who created it. We also support and promote independent artists; we proudly and emphatically provide direct links to purchasing their work, whenever available. All materials used therein, credited or uncredited, fall under fair use. So there.