Gnappy,
Unloaded



Label: Bean Pie Records

(4 out of 5)

This just in: Gnappy's 1960s and 70s inspired acid jazz is also Texas music. They might not twang, but guitarist/producer Buck McKinney does wield the Austin scene's de rigueur Fender Telecaster as he and his band mates remind us that Texas is home to a wealth of sounds.

Unloaded is Gnappy's third full-length release and a master class in post-hip-hop jazz taught from a book penned by legends like Grant Green and Jimmy Smith and updated by jazz-funksters like Tower of Power and the Average White Band. Filled out expertly by bassist Brad Bradburn, drummer Kevin Pearson, and saxophonist Marcus Cardwell, the combo delivers a heady mix of spot-on tightness and ambitious exploration, proving them the equal of more famous contemporaries such as Medeski, Martin & Wood, Galactic, and Soulive.

Unloaded is a largely instrumental set — the exceptions being the title track, surely the first rap to shout out basketball player Robert Horry, and the premix of "Bahl Hornin'," which features added color from fellow Austinites DJ Stillness and trumpeter Ephraim Owens (Karl Denson's Tiny Universe). Standout tracks include "Gatorade Brain," a balls-to-the-wall demonstration of all four musicians' skills sets, "You Got Me There," a down-tempo improvisational showcase, and "Oleo," a joyful playing out of the Sonny Rollins standard.

For now, Gnappy remains a relative secret, held among some in-the-know Austinites, several savvy jazz journalists, and a growing cadre of jamband fans. As word of Unloaded spreads, trying to keep that secret will become a Sisyphean folly.

Reviewed by Adam Black
August 7, 2006