“Tidal Wave” is my personal answer to why all jazz lovers worldwide should pay special attention to Butcher Brown. The song is a smooth, stone-cold cool blend of their ingenious vibe of jazz-funk-soul fusion. It's groovy, it's melodic, it's jumpy and it's incredibly addictive!
Personally, I was won at the first sax note melody that comes up around the 20-seconds mark, properly set up with the sweetly delicate, sneaky groove that precedes it. But that’s just me, I’m always a sucker for some tenor sax. “Tidal Wave” is by no means some kind of a prolonged saxophone solo. Undoubtedly, for the most part of the song the instrument takes the leading part but without overstepping its boundaries. Instead, it is soaked into the most appropriate background you can imagine. We are talking about airy drumming that alternates between textural and heavily accentuated grooving in a beautiful, yet rare manner that adds dynamic without feeling like a sudden interruption. We are also talking about the beautiful blend between bass, guitar and keyboards that is lurking and twisting within the shadow, distinctively present and somehow ethereal.
I could talk a lot more about everything else related to the track, or Butcher Brown in general, but I’d recommend just playing it. It’s worth it, even if you are not that much into jazz. Give it three minutes of your time and who knows, you might get converted!
“Tidal Wave” comes off Butcher Brown’s LP release King Butch (2020).
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