Review

If the thought of lounge music played by a consummate classical musical ensemble (the Minnesota Contemporary Ensemble, "reborn" here as the Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble) intrigues you, you might thoroughly enjoy the delightfully playful renderings of these mostly classic tunes. From Quincy Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova" to Rudolph Toombs' "One Mint Julep" by way of Leonard Bernstein's brassy "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs" and Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You," it is all there, in full style. Surprisingly, these guys and gals (21 in all) swing as though they had been doing this all their lives. The solos are adequate, too, enough so to straddle the line between pop and jazz. It is all great fun, with rocking rhythms, heavy winds, corny harmonies, and danceable tunes. Finger snappin' good fun, played immaculately by some well-trained performers whose names are not likely to be recognized by many jazz fans. No matter. The band achieves its goal of giving this kind of music a more serious treatment, and the results speak for themselves. ~ Steven Loewy, All Music Guide

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