Matt Jenson' Acid Reggae Xperience at Johnny D's:
Written by Steve Morse for his column in the Boston Globe, "Rock Notes."

Take a foundation of roots reggae (anchored by a love of Bob Marley), then top with expansive jazz and blues riffs. It's a formula that works for Jenson, who has a master's degree in jazz piano from the New England Conservatory and has backed various players around town, including Mighty Sam McClain. Jenson is an intuitive player who has found a worthy outlet in acid reggae. A cover of Marley's "Trenchtown Rock" was riveting, while Jenson's original tunes also gleamed. And guitarit Jason Yost even threw in some piquant, Jerry Garcia-like licks. A tasty, exploratory ensemble.

Besides being a very classy joint with much good food and drink, Johnny D's of Davis Square is also known for maintaining a damned high level of variety in their booking tastes - no surprise, then, to find a band like Acid Reggae performing there. It should be said, though, that the "acid" part of their name really ain't all that appropriate. It kind of implies harshness, or abrasiveness, when there wasn't anything of the kind in their rock/reggae/funk/jazz breed of musical expression. More than anything else, Jenson and company had a very organic sound, no doubt resulting from the unique musical structures of their compositions; they didn't have the monotonous approach of generating grooves and then beating them to death, nor did they rely too hevily on madcap improvisation. Rather, they found a very interesting middle ground, where structure was present but unrestricting, and solos made beautiful sense and fit perfectly into the whole. It all sounded very natural and real, and warmed both the body and the brain. They were tight, creative and rich with life.

Just when I thought I'd figured out what "acid jazz" was (despite my inability to comprehend how some artists got stuck in that category) comes Matt Jenson's One Drops, Spirituals and Riddim: This is Acid Reggae (Rubb Dubb Music). Reggae fans, this sounds like nothing you've ever heard before - don't think Monty Alexander (though Jenson is a pianist) or Ernest Ranglin (though jazz is the predominant vehicle) even though the ghost of King Tubby does float by now and then. Certainly the spirit of Bob Marley is present in the arrangements although the only cover, a solo piano interpretation of "Sun Is Shining," is the least reggae- sounding cut on the disc. Make sure to check your set and settings (a trips captain is advisable) and don't buy of use this unless you're ready and willing to open your mind.

For years, Matt Jenson has been a diverse and prominent force on the Portsmouth music scene. From the hot Latin sounds of the Mambo Combo to his work with local blues/jazz musician TJ Wheeler, to fronting his own jazz piano or organ trios to his extensive sideman work, Jenson has strived to contribute to the diverse music scene that is so much a part of Portsmouth. Now, with the release of this, his first CD, Matt Jenson reveals another facet of his musical persona, combining his deep love for reggae music with elements of his other musical identities to create a new style that he calls acid-reggae. This is music that has a terrific groove. It is music that comes from the heart. And, most importantly, this is music that is rendered with deep feeling.

The only non-Jenson tune on this CD is the opening solo piano rendition of Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining," which Jenson delivers with a passionate mix of blues and jazz influenced lines over the base reggae rhythm. "Love & Fear" introduces the rest of the ensemble on an infectious reggae-based tune with solid horn work from trombonist Mark Paquin and saxophonist Matt Langley. On this tune, Jenson sings the vocal lead, a new dimension to his multi-musical persona. His vocal work all throughout, especially on the closing "Fear No More" is exceptional, as he possesses a rich timbre in his voice that is pleasing and effective. Jenson's keyboard work, while restrained in a number of places, is still effective, as he colors each tune with an appropriate use of various keyboards, creating shadings and colorings on all of the tunes that five the music life and vitality.

The other musicians make some solid musical statements, especially Langley, whose incisive soprano sax solo on "Ska'Round" is one of the highlights of the disc, as is the superb group jam on the Santana-influenced "Infinite," which features sterling work from Jenson on organ and a fiery tenor sax solo from Langley, over the solid bass and drum groove of Jim Whitney and Bob Weiner. On the other selections, bassist Danny Mo makes the grooves sound easy in conjunction with Weiner.

I would like to have heard more of Paquin. He's too good a player go be relegated to just one or two brief features. And having one of the horns take the lead on the short but fine tune "Gospel" would give the tune more of a punch.

There is an overall vibe to this recording that is very appealing, almost spiritual. Matt Jenson gives us a superb look at the music that is closest to his heart, and he invites all of you to share in the experience.

Since settling on the New Hampshire seacoast, Matt Jenson has been a musical chameleon. His first project here was called Be-3, a classic organ trio consisting of Hammond B3 organ, electric guitar and drum set. In this context, the organ supplies the bass lines as well as the chords, and the guitar and organ share soloing duties. Subsequent to Be-3, Jenson founded the Latin group Corason, and still later, the incomparable Mambo Combo, another Latin group featuring some of Boston's finest Latin Musicians. Jenson's current project is something new altogether, a hybrid musical style that Jenson has dubbed "Acid Reggae."

"Of all the music that I've listened to and played all my life, Bob Marley's work inspires me more than anything I've ever known," Jenson said in a recent interview at this home in Portsmouth. "this music that I call Acid Reggae uses a popular Jamaican rhythm style called 'one drop,' but overlays a much more involved harmonic structure onto the groove."

Jenson has just released a full length CD entitled This Is Acid Reggae, subtitled One Drops, Spirituals and Riddim. The recording explores this marriage of modern jazz and roots reggae, and ultimately achieves great success in doing so. The fusion of any two preexisting musical styles always flirts with the possibility of alienating purist fans of both the source idioms, but Jenson avoids the pitfalls of besmirching either of his wellsprings of inspiration by not pandering to either, and sincerely presenting his considerable understanding of each. There are no fake Jamaican "Yah, mon" vocals, nor is there the slightest pretense in the jazz-oriented compositions. It is perhaps presumptuous to anoint oneself chief architect of an aborning musical style, but Jenson is nothing if not ambitious.

A graduate of the New England Conservatory in piano performance, Jenson has studied with some of the finest musicians in the Northeast, and has played with several nationally recognized performers. Notably in this regard, he had a long stint as organist with Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. He is a big-city chops, professional keyboard player who could work steady in any major metropolitan area in the country, but whose personal spirituality and current musical focus seems just as well suited to the rhythm of life here on the seacoast.

Jenson explains: "In recording this latest CD, I couldn't have asked for better musicians. My Caribbean rhythms professor, Bob Weiner, plays drums on the recording. Matt Langley plays brilliant saxophone throughout. Danny Mo has been one of my favorite electric bassists since I first heard him, and Jim Whitney plays beautiful acoustic bass on one track. He's been a major musical partner of mine for years. The players that are in town and just down the road in Boston are tremendous. I couldn't have made a better recird9ing if I lived in New York or Los Angeles."

Also featured on the recording are Mark Paquin on trombone (former member of Bim Scala Bim, The Billy Lee Soul Revue and currently of Lonesome Gus and the One Night Stand.) Paquin gets a huge sound, layered mostly in octaves and fifths against Langley's tenor saxophone, resulting in a sound that is consonant, powerful, and suggestive of a much larger horn section. He also has a couple of terrifying solos on the recording. Guitarist Morris Acevedo is terrific with his "skank," no-note reggae rhythm playing, as well as his lyrical, linear soloing. If you end up buying this recording, pay special attention to his distinctly Carlos Santana-esque solo at the end of the third track, "Triplet." Acevedo straps on the flame-thrower and burns the tune to the ground.

Jenson claims to have always been a "closet choir singer," but never defined himself primarily as a vocalist. In the early stages of this recording, Jenson considered hiring a singer, but later elected to assume vocal duties himself. In the end, this has to be seen as a good decision, especially given the ancillary role the vocals play here. The lead and background vocals are presented more as added color than they are driving force of the recordings. They are an adjunct to the compositions, as opposed to being the primary focal point. Lyrically, This is Acid Reggae is spiritual without being 'preachy,' and poetic with out being maudlin. Mary Edes' crystal clear, close interval vocal harmonies evoke the characteristic Wailers harmonies on the early Bob Marley recordings, and Jenson's lead vocals serve the songs nicely.

This is Acid Reggae is one of the last recordings ever made at the now defunct Fishtraks Recording Studio in Portsmouth. Jim Tierney was chief engineer on the project. Tierney recently opened his own recording studio, "The Electric Cave," in back of the Button Factory on Islington Street in Porstmouth. According to both the CD's liner notes and conversations with Jenson, the driving force behind this latest project are the spirit and songs of Bob Marley. "A lot of the reggae music being made now is about anger, dope, and sex for the sake of sex and that's not what Marley was about. He was all about love, both romantic love and love of mankind. Even when he was alive, some of his critics said that he got soft as time went on, but they just didn't get it. Right up until the end, he wasn't getting softer, he was getting deeper."

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