The second CD for the collective ensemble Shakers N' Bakers extends their concept in fusing the artistic texts of the Shakers cult with modern and improvisational jazz. You hear distinctive Native American tones, wild drunken party music, visceral religious fervor, unabashed beat oriented rhythms, and a fierce attitude that lives on. Jamie Saft plays keyboards, especially the Baldwin electric harpsichord and organ, while he and saxophonist/producer Jeff Lederer add flavors of both modernity and tradition. Vocalists Mary LaRose and Miles Griffith further pile on the excitement, while drummer Allison Miller and bassist Chris Lightcap lay down the rhythmic law in straight or crooked number time signatures. Some klezmer sensibilities creep in, as well as Slavic music or 20th century modern compositions. There are five Shaker "vision songs," or several Shaker texts that comprise the bulk of the program. In Me Canoe sets the wild tone in ritualistic nay hedonistic fashion, a little funky and a little rock & roll. Two pieces -- Scour Scrub and Chinese!!! with drummer Matt Wilson -- mix loopy and minimalist elements with a bass clarinet foundation from Andrew D'Angelo, or funny shout outs from the singers to languid seduction back and forth. LaRose's feature Lay Me Low combines sweetness with squirrelly mixed meters interrupted by the gruff singing of Griffith, while the title track is an uncharacteristic hymnal/spiritual with whistling. Mixing it up in dizzying fashion, Laughing John's Interrogatory tosses hand clapping, squawky tenor from Lederer, bop, New Orleans, and tribal sounds in a blender. The Roar of God is based on the György Ligeti theme Hungarian Rock, with splattered drumming and a violin-soprano sax traipse from Mark Feldman and Lederer, cemented by the lyrics "I will roar/howl/arise/shake." The spooky singing of LaRose and crusty Griffith freely swing, with the brilliant Feldman again up front on Even Shakers Get the Blues, inspired by the John Adams piece Road Movies, Pt. II. Arvo Pärt's Spiegel im Spiegel retitled Limber Zeal is another departure, juxtaposing Saft's beautiful three note acoustic piano lullaby and Feldman's lilting violin under several spoken word statements, Griffith's maniacal and demonic declarations, and a section of group mania. While a small community of Shakers do still exist in Sabbathday Lake, Maine, one has to wonder what they think of how their art and culture have been adapted and modified here. The epitome of crazy people music, this CD is guaranteed to rock your world, no matter how jam packed, rat race paced, or vibrant you think your life it might be -- until now. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi

1		In Me Canoe
2		Even Shakers Get the Blues
3		The Roar of G_d
4		Scour and Scrub
5		Chinese!
6		Lay Me Low
7		Laughing John's Interogatory
8		Yearning for Zion
9		Limber Zeal

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