The music of trumpeter Frank London could be characterized as a product of "Radical Jewish Culture," a term coined by John Zorn that refers to post-Holocaust generations of Jews discovering on their own terms the meaning of their faith. London has spent the past couple of decades at the ancient intersections of Jewish, Middle Eastern and African music, and on "Scientist at Work" he continues to revel at the crossroads, informed by a Downtown sensibility that is at times sonorous and at others jagged. Judging from London's music, Radical Jewish Culture is restless, intelligent and obsessively inclusive -- it is also hip and very funky.
Backing London on "Scientist at Work" is his Shekhina Big Band. The band -- whose name means Divine Presence or Inspiration, in Hebrew -- is not your average big band. Driven by a load of African and Middle Eastern percussion instruments, it also boasts a pair of electric guitars, some strings, a bunch of horns, the occasional voice and pretty much lives up to its lofty name.
"Alef" -- the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as opposed to Alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet -- also happens to be the first track on the album. The tune takes its time to unwind, seemingly deciding its form as it progresses, and features a murky keyboard and pensive trumpet recalling Miles Davis' "In a Silent Way." "Notreve" reveals the dark inspiration of Davis' "Bitches Brew" and finds London's trumpet distinctly more aggressive. Listening to this music, one imagines Davis savoring the flickering warmth of his final resting place, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes as he hears himself alive once again and traversing new ground. Meanwhile, Fela Kuti, the father of Afro Beat and scores of children, who likely has a toasty seat close to Miles, must be pleased to hear the outright homage, "Fela," a rollicking caravan of a tune that stays true to the form of Afro Beat until exploding with a saxophone solo that sounds like a screaming beast caught in a hunter's net.