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 (37:05; CatSynth Records)   It will come as no surprise to anyone, given the title, that this is the third album by Nubdug Ensemble, a collection of musicians brought together by composer and musical director Jason Berry (programming, keyboards, electronics, various instruments, sounds) to fulfil his vision, with this being a musical adaption of Shakespeare"s "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar". Given some of the themes in that play are about ruthless ambition, power, political violence and revenge, I would not have been surprised if the person wearing the crown on the cover was rather portlier and had an orange face. To assist him in his storytelling, Jason has been joined by a stellar cast, including Steve Adams (ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic) on saxophones, Myles Boisen (Tom Waits, John Zorn) on guitars, Sheldon Brown (Clubfoot Orchestra, Bob Weir) on bass clarinet and alto flute, Amanda Chaudhary on keyboards and synths, Mark Clifford on vibraphone, Chris Grady (The Residents, Grassy Knoll) on trumpet, Crystal Pascucci on cello, drums and percussion by John Hanes (Chrome, Romeo Void, John Schott Trio), Brett Warren on all manner of basses plus drummer G Calvin Weston (Ornette Coleman, James "Blood" Ulmer, Lounge Lizards)! Vocals are primarily handled by Sami Stevens, known for her work with JG Thirlwell, Kazemde George, Tredici Bacci and more, along with additional voices by Jill Rogers. Jason wanted me to get the physical release to review, and I am glad he did as not only is there a six-panel digipak there is also a 16-page booklet containing lyrics and further illustrations, and it was only when reading the credits that I realised they were also by Jason. Musically this is a mix of prog, funk and jazz in a manner which I found reminded me of Zappa in the instrumental passages, more like classic jazz when Sami is singing. There is a huge amount of depth here, and the scores for the 17 musicians must be hugely complex as the music twists and turns, taking whatever path it sees fit. Different instruments take the lead and weave their spells while the sadly under-rated vibraphone is often a key element (I often used to see Poli Palmer (Family) play with Steve Waller (MMEB) and it was always a delight). We get old-school Hammond sounds laying a platform for horns, while the rhythm section never settles, but instead are always looking to move things along. This is not an album for those who want to sit in the middle of the road of whatever genre they are interested in but instead is for those who want their music to be off centre and different, understanding that the road less travelled can often lead to more interesting outcomes. That is not to say that this is difficult to listen to, it is a long way removed from the avant garde I often come across but instead sounds like it has taken Zappa as a base and then taken that in multiple logical progressions all at the same time. It is fresh, exciting, and for ears as jaded as mine is thoroughly enjoyable and one I highly recommend. Progtector: April 2025
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