“Super Steig” on LP Monium by Bob Reina
With the growing popularity of the electric jazz-rock genre, it is reassuring to hear an ensemble that can still be classified as “Modern Jazz” without trying to sound like the Mahavishunu Orchestra. Jeremy Steig’s Monium fits comfortably into this context.
The instrumental set up of the album is very simple: the band consists of Jeremy Steig on flute and bass flute, backed by bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell. “Mason Land Express” and “Monium” are typical examples of the Steig style. A very short simple melody opens each piece, followed by endless improvisational acrobatics by Steig and Gomez. Listening to Steig jamming makes me wonder why the flute has been ignored as an important jazz instrument.
Although most of the album is free-form, Steig never bores me with his playing. There are no recurring licks, and Steig will occasionally introduce a flutter buzz or harmonic to give more variety to his music. His solo work on “Bluesdom” is incredible…