Crashing waves soundtrack a woman’s voice as she whispers, “I want to be a wave… I want to be a warm blue wave that loves you” to open the track “I Want to Be a Wave” on You Would Do Well, the latest full-length album by Oakland-based post-jazz group the Dirty Snacks Ensemble. Recorded at Tiny Telephone’s San Francisco studio and released on Slow & Steady Records, You Would Do Well flows like the tide pulling an ocean of influences—including Kool Keith instrumentals and 70’s Japanese free jazz grooves—to shore.
To preface the record, Mark Clifford (vibraphonist, composer and leader of the ensemble) writes “[the] through line is a devotion to craft.” I would add “playfulness” as the other through line. The tongue-in-cheek Stones Throw-esque hip hop groove “One Must Plan for Succsess” and missing Sub-Pop 12” single “Showmen” highlight the ensemble’s willingness to embrace and play with genre. Each player strikes a balance between compositional adherence and improvisational muscle. The dance between Crystal Pascucci-Clifford’s cello and Cory Wright’s bass clarinet on standout title track “You Would Do Well” exemplifies not only the musicianship of each player, but the ease of which they improvise with each other. An earnest record at its core, You Would Do Well feels like the warmth of a Bay Area September just before the sun loses that summer shine.
