GOING TO MARKET

JV's Boogaloo Squad's exceptional debut album Going To Market showcases the group’s soulful sound that is simultaneously lost in the thrill of the moment while evoking a timeless musical nostalgia. At the centre of the album are Visentin's massive Hammond B3 organ skills, and wholly inspired performances from the band's superb solos to their signature flashy endings.

Going To Market is a collection of clever, stunning original compositions, with one cover track – the stand-out rendition of "Chain Of Fools." A fitting tribute to the recently deceased Queen of Soul, the band's take on Aretha Franklin's hit song speeds up the tempo and raises the temperature. JV's astonishing organ solo builds to a frenetic, hyper-kinetic crescendo that's sure to impress.

On "Slacktivision" JV's Boogaloo Squad recalls the classic '60s and '70s Hammond B3 organ trio sound of Jimmy McGriff, Richard "Groove" Holmes, and "Brother" Jack McDuff. This fun, funky song offers a perfect introduction. Taking the slacker theme one step further, "Fashionably Lazy" fully lives up to its title, being both fashionable AND lazy. The captivating groove animates the tune with a vibe like the soundtrack to a black-and-white French "nouvelle vague" art film from 1962. JV hoped to convey an air of sophistication and swagger within a laissez-faire attitude.

"Squadzilla," the first single that’s already garnered high praise and radio play, leans into the funk, with Halischuk holding the groove, augmented by the finely executed congas of percussionist Michel Dequevedo. The dynamic horn lines shine on, while guitarist Adam Beer-Colacino, saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, and Visentin solo impeccably throughout. The whole thing hurtles along at a winning pace.

Gospel and the Hammond B3 organ fit together like ham and swiss. The squad accommodates with "Forty Filth" and "Caustic Optimism." The former was written by Visentin the morning after the most recent presidential election. Pure, Gospel organ music. Featured is JUNO Award-nominated bassist Marc Rogers. The latter track, bounded by a Bermuda Triangle of Gospel, soul and jazz, sees JV indulging in a delicious pun by changing the phrase "cautious optimism" into "caustic optimism." He says, "I can be a bit of a cynic sometimes but I also think I have a pretty positive outlook on most things. So the song seeks to invoke my personal sense of sarcastic optimism."

The squad throws it back to a lot of '70s soul-jazz, and it seems that all of the groups that play it have an animal song of some sort: "Turtle Walk," "Chicken Strut," etc. When JV was trying to pick an animal for his tune, he thought about the Capybara that escaped from the High Park Zoo in Toronto. With "Capybara Walk," he hopes to provide a soundtrack to the adventure that little guy experienced around Toronto’s urban landscape after he broke out of his enclosure.

JV loves classic '70s TV show themes. "Different Times," is his attempt to write a theme for a TV show that never existed, called Different Times. The title is both a nod to the shows Different Strokes and Good Times, and also a description of the shifting seven-beat rhythms throughout the song.

"Market Research" has a softly soulful Motown groove in the vein of The Temptations, The Four Tops, and Marvin Gaye, and then the entrance of the incandescent, incendiary (and recently a JUNO Award nominee) Alison Young wailing on alto sax like a woman scorned, tears the song apart. The relaxing lows and explosive highs are reminiscent of the current volatile stock market, hence the song title.

A kind of answer song – literally – to James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now?", "I Suppose It Is" aims to match the depth and infectious energy of JB's best grooves. The perfect ending track to a perfectly crafted album.

PRESS REVIEWS:

"A uniquely talented group who display all the hallmarks of a classic organ trio, while still moving the genre forward."
- Justin Abedin (Jacksoul)