By: Django Gold
Rating: 8/11

To deviate from that hackney phrase employed by reviewers unsure of where to place a given band, it is not that Club d’Elf defies categorization, but rather it is that they reach out into far too many categories for the band to be safely placed into just one musical genre. Jam band funk? Bottom-heavy trance-hop? Moroccan free jazz? One could spend hours mixing and matching genre catchwords and not come close to defining that unique brand of sound that emits from the multi-faced monster that is Club d’Elf. Let it suffice to say that, with a “revolving door” of band personnel that can encompass percussion, reeds, effects-souped piano, and turntable riffs within a single performance, Club d’Elf is a swirling mix of tones, voices, and musical interactions that evolves with each live performance.

The band’s one constant is bass player and bandleader Mike Rivard, whose dark grooves and powerful rhythms provide the framework for the band’s exploration into some very weird territories. Live performances find the maestro guiding the players seamlessly through funk jams, spacey electronic landscapes, earthy percussion showcases, and always back to that same voodoo funk that is the band’s foundation. With a supporting cast that can include such figures as local country rocker Duke Levine (guitar), joyful Either/Orchestra percussionist Vicente Lebron, and jam circuit hero John Medeski (keys), Club d’Elf’s defining trait may just be putting on a great show.