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Review, The Electric Co Utica NY

Rhubarb is Buffalo's funky, jazzy rock-jam quartet who's pleased crowds at the Electric Company more than 5 times in the past two years, quickly becoming counted-on staples of the EC's musical line-up. Each time different yet always party hungry, Rhubarb had a great opportunity to prove their wide musical diversity and they did... infinitely. This night, the creative combination reached it's pinnacle... as this night, two styles of two seemingly polarized influences of music were forever fused into some of the most incredible organic, funk infused lyrical and musical combinations one could have imagined or better yet, observed. The blending of styles, interests and cultures was evident in the crowd as well as in the music. And both the music and diverse crowd were focused on the music, unity and fun to be had on this cold night. Fans of all backgrounds made their way to the dance floor to pump fists, bob-heads or all-out freak-out to the music. As well as to check out the added bonus of a refreshingly youthful Utica College girls ice hockey team make the stage their own dance floor. The music was wild. Imagine the live hip-hop musical skills and lyrical cadence of The Roots, with the funky and sometimes fast paced bass-synthesized segues reminiscent of Sound Tribe Sector 9, and each with pounds of thick, lardy, lyrical freestyle and musical improvisational skills! Heavy! NOSTA and Rhubarb are the jam/hip-hop equivalent of the apple fritter desert pizza: tentative to give it a try, but one bite seals the deal. A teasing sound check of a very quiet, droning drum & bass-driven intro featuring a lyrical intro by King Staf Kinetic who's calm, deliberate delivery stared-down the crowd with a creshendoing intensity and volume reminiscent of Talib Kweli. Local saxophone legend Sal Alberico joined the bass, guitar, drums and keyboards of Rhubarb as the last element of an increasingly jazz-leaning night turned into a sonic canvas equivalent completely worthy of comparison to another gem found in Utica: Jackson Pollock's 'Number 2' These guys are the real deal and should seriously look to partnering again in the near future, as they have something very special to share. We thank them for sharing it to us on Saturday. ~Bubba

Following the life-affirming Patti Smith and Ralph Nader concert and rally at Canisius College, I stopped by Broadway Joe's to catch Rhubarb, the four-piece improvisational funk-jazz outfit whose Monday evening residency at Frizzy's on Allen Street is becoming the stuff of legend.

I'm glad I did. The last time I'd seen the band, it was performing inside the Atomic on Chippewa Street. That club is gone, but Rhubarb has developed into an absolutely world-class free-form ensemble whose sound suggests what you might get if you tossed Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" into a blender with Primus' "Sailing the Seas of Cheese."

Taut, edgy and often transcendent, the Rhubarb boys played a host of original tunes that provided plenty of opportunity for some dynamite interplay between guitarist Mark Stojanovich and keyboardist Mike Wagner, the band's newest member, who I had last seen manning the Fender Rhodes as part of a Bobby Previte-led ensemble. The rhythm section laid down a feast of funk grooves that veered from slippery ostinatos into far-reaching "outside" jams, the sort that make one wonder how the band found "one" again.

This was a real treat, an exciting evening of unique groove-based improvisational music.

The Buffalo News - Rhubarb pie By Jeff Miers