C O V E R		R E V I E W
		When Curtis Bay's debut album Genuine Low came out a couple of years ago, I said that perhaps we were witnessing a "nascent form of west-coast illbientism". That's how much I felt the Oakland saxophonist-cum-electronic musician managed to capture the spectre of urban decay and modern malaise that one associates with the east coast illbient phenomenon. Now here we are with the sequal! Medium Rare cages the same ghosts as GL but doesn't let us see them right away. Rather, Mr. Bay teases us with glimpses of the crumbling city while never really giving us a clear view. "Scrambled Eggs" and "Signs of (City) Life" make a prime example here, in a sort of two-part form; what sounds like a violent domestic dispute is the background for an almost jaunty techno tune. All that is clearly audible amid the fray is the occasional frantic "Stop! Stop! Stop!"...spooky! It should be remembered that Curtis Bay is in essence a jazz musician (this is how he describes himself) -- his goal is to enhance old-school jazz with technology. But whereas much of acid-jazz -- a genre with arguably the same goal -- fails on either the jazz side or the hip-hop side, Bay's music is remarkably well-fused -- "fusion" in the true sense! In general MR is more hip-hoppy than GL was, and there are some nice moments when Mr. Bay proves he hasn't lived in a cave since his debut and allows a jungle beat or two into the mix. In a world where musical hybridization is increasingly "the thing", it is important to recognize those who not only try but succeed. Cheers to Curtis Bay!
	I N F O
Curtis Bay Medium Rare Tonguebath CD
		Review by Noah Wane

---