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Available on CD, recorded 2004, released May 2005, ACME KO56605-89202

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What is Kwyjibo? The liner notes provide a quick definition. A kwyjibo is a big, dumb balding North American ape, with a short chin and a bad temper. Sounds like a description of the president of one of those oil companies. You know, the guy who appeared on TV to explain away their record profits of ten billion dollars during the hurricanes that hit this fall, as having nothing to do with gouging and artificially created shortages. OK. All that is topic for some other kind of review. In any case, none of the musicians in the group appear to be kwyjibos in the dictionary definition sense of the word. But, their own definition fits perfectly: an electric jazz ensemble from Midwestern North America.

This energetic fusion ensemble is led by the superb guitarist Peter Kienle (who happens to be married to another superb musician, pianist Monika Herzig). Kienle has led or appeared on other albums on the family and artist-owned independent label, Acme Records.

The energetic fusion ensemble opens the set with a hip-shaking, “Sign Broken, Come in for Message.” Move your body to music. Joe Donnelly states the theme on tenor sax, with Kienle’s harmonic and melodic support. The piece changes hue from the backbeat beginnings to a freer, lighter section, and then returns to an intense backbeat groove for solos. Donnelly turns in a moving solo, before a brief ending.

“Alice’s Cool B***s” is a title that probably refers to a secret sensory understanding that we listeners can only imagine. The music’s accessibility is antithetical to the obscurity of the title. Thankfully! Drummer Danny Deckard and bassist Matt Everhart create a powerful 6/8 backbeat groove. Donnelly switches to baritone sax, and turns in a well-crafted solo.

Kienle takes center stage on “I Can’t See Your House From Here.” The tempo a laid back, straight eighth rock-funk groove, if an identification tag can be put on it. Kienle takes the first solo. Extracting a broad canvass of sounds from his string array (guitar, Chapman stick) he crafts a beautifully apropos improvisation. Expectedly! He is both the composer—on all but one of the tunes on The Rise of Kwyjibo—and a superb guitarist with a impressively honed set of harmonic, melodic and rhythmic skills, tempered by a sensitive use of space and timing.

Two of Kienle’s tunes—”Georgia Beyond The Blue Event Horizon” and “Suburban Stardust”—are inspired by Hoagy Carmichael, one of the great composers of songs that have become Great American Standards. If you’re not a musician, you’ll have to listen carefully to hear the “Georgia” of Hoagy Carmichael obscured within the melody of Kienle’s “Georgia Beyond The Blue Event Horizon.” It’s an eye-opening—actually, ear-opening—recasting of Carmichael’s ideas. Not what you’d expect. And, that’s good. Kienle on guitar and Donnelly on baritone are stylistically in sync with the genre of the music they are creating here.

Kwyjibo has assembled an interesting set with ample variety. Following the varied grooves of the first several tracks, “Maximum Overlap” is subdued. Restrained. The dark sounds of the music, led by the expressive tenor sax, serves up reminiscences of a film noir, or the lonely rainy night of a TV detective. “Peter’s Party Pooper” is a kind of boogaloo groove, on modified blues changes. Kienle comps beautifully in support of Donnelly’s excursions on tenor sax, and serves up a delightfully electric solo himself—in terms of sound, energy and style.

This release showcases the excellent composing and performing skills of guitarist Kienle, and the sound quality is excellent. I enjoyed listening through the entire album, which I felt took me on a intriguing journey of passion and thought.

Clive Griffin, JazzImprov Magazine, Vol 6 Number 2, February 2006

Cadence 9/2005

Musicianship – 10 out of 10
It’s been said that Jazz is the classical music of America, and just like everything else classically American, there is variety, flavor, and sophistication at its root! There are exceptions to prove the rule, of course, but the music of Kwyjibo is no such exception! Their electronic variety of jazz blends funk, fusion, rock and soul into a very tasty blend of music that rivals releases by the masters of the genre! Yes, I’m talking artists like Stanley Jordan, Chick Corea, Al Dimeola and their cohorts! In a nutshell, The Rise of Kwyjibo is a great jazz album!

Though it is difficult to do in such a short space of time, I will attempt to discuss the positive qualities that each musician in this group brings to the table! Starting with the foundation of the group, we focus first on the percussion and rhythm of Danny Deckard, the group’s drummer! He has a strong sense of timing, as well as a flair for the dramatic in his playing. In short, his work is flawless on this album! Accompanying him in all endeavors related to rhythm, we find Matt Everhart on bass. His work is also flawless, as he blends just the right amount of flash with his solid playing. He holds down the bottom end quite well, playing with a tone that is ballsy and very clear. Very few artists are able to get the recorded sound that he has achieved on bass, and to me, that speaks volumes about his abilities as a musician, and also about his technical expertise in the recording studio!

Bringing the melody are the group’s leader Peter Kienle on guitar and Chapman Stick, and Sax man Joe Donnelly. No offense to Peter, but Joe is the star of the band, in my opinion! His tenor and bari work is awesome! He has the attitude and chops of an alto sax man, but his playing sounds much fuller, with a lot of oomph and character! His work is my favorite on the album!

I never intended to leave Peter out! He is the soul of the group, the spiritual leader, the man with the plan, so to speak! His guitar work, and his work on Chapman Stick provides a rich, luxurious feel to the band’s sound. Thanks to his talent, and that of the other members of Kwyjibo, there are layers and layers of sound that true jazz aficionados will spend hours peeling back! I loved the band’s music, and I think that Peter, Joe, Danny and Matt are some of the best musicians I have ever had the pleasure of hearing!

Songwriting – 10 out of 10
Songwriting concepts differ from genre to genre. With jazz, the construct of the song is important, but there is a lot of reliance on improvisation as well, so the rules are different! A musician must follow the song construct, and make sure that his riff blends well with the work of his/her bandmates.

I enjoyed the twist in the rhythm of Kwyjibo’s songs, as well as the strength/conviction behind their playing! Many tunes start off low and slow, building on the growl of the tenor/bari sax as it weaves in and out of the funky bass rhythms. As the songs progress, the rhythm section falls into the pocket, allowing the sax/guitar work of Donnelly and Kienle to soar above the groove! It’s amazing to me that everyone works well together within the song’s structure, and manages to create an incredible experience!

I like the overall concept and sound of Kwyjibo’s music! It is fun and frivolous at times, but it is also beautiful and powerful. The band should be very, very proud of their compositions, because The Rise of Kwyjibo is a stellar example for other artists to follow!

Sound Quality/Professionalism – 10 out of 10
I already alluded to the high quality of the band’s overall sound when I commented on the sound that Matt Everhart achieves on bass. Each instrumentalist is a consummate professional in this regard, creating incredible music with a full, rich sound that translates well to the recording! Their work compares to that of the masters of the genre – guys like Dave Grusin, Chick Corea, Al Dimeola and Mark Egan, who recorded for years on the GRP label! I’m astounded that musicians of this caliber hail from the heartland of America, and it makes me proud to be from the Midwest when I hear Kwyjibo! I’m not worthy!!!

Packaging – 9.5 out of 10
I don’t want to sound too easy, but the band had me at Kwyjibo! Being a fan of The Simpsons, I knew that a Kwyjibo was ‘a big dumb balding North American ape with no chin and a short temper’! That, and the pictures of the band superimposed on the Simpson living room let me know that these guys were cool! I like the way that the disc is packaged, including the production credits, band bios, and all of the artwork. How can you go wrong with The Simpsons as your inspiration?

Favorite Tracks
Sign Broken, Come In For Message
Alice’s Cool B***s
Apples and Oranges
Maximum Overlap
Siberian Kathru Blues

Overall Rating – 10 out of 10
What more can I possibly say? I’m one compliment away from the equivalent of throwing my intimate apparel on stage at the band’s feet! So, I should take this opportunity to rein it in, and play it cool. Ahem…

If you want to hear incredible jazz music with funk, and with soul, get a copy of The Rise of Kwyjibo. If you want incredible tenor/bari sax playing, smooth guitar work, funky bass and driving rhythm, get a copy of The Rise of Kwyjibo. If you want a memorable and fun jazz experience, hear and see Kwyjibo play! Every jazz recording that I hear from this point on will be compared to this one as the standard by which I judge their merit! Yes, the album is that good!

Do me a favor, and get a copy of The Rise of Kwyjibo! I’ll stop frothing at the mouth, and you will not regret a second of the time you spend listening to the album, I promise!

—Mark Lush, Midwestbands.com, 9/10/05

Quote: "A mix of guitars, chapman stick, sax, bass, and percussion pulled me out of my apartment and sent me on a funky, high-energy hallucination punctuated by quiet, mystic interludes. Either that, or someone spiked my Crystal Light."

—Jennifer Layton, Indie-Music.com

(read the full review here)