Mostly Other People Do the Killing

Slippery Rock

Label: Hot Cup Records Country: USA

Claiming to have been inspired by smooth jazz, the 5th MOPDTK album is a remarkable achievement of forward-thinking free jazz with a bizarre sense of humor and an irresistible love of poking fun at form while simultaneously paying homage. Liner notes by "Leonardo Featherweight". You get the idea. Absolutely killer, remarkable playing, certainly the hottest jazz group in NYC for the new millenium.

"Mostly Other People Do the Killing formed in the fall of 2003 in New York City. Bassist and bandleader, Moppa Elliott met trumpeter Peter Evans in the fall of 1998 at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where both studied. While at Oberlin, Elliott and Evans performed together in a series of ensembles many of which were important precursors to MOPDtK. Upon relocating to New York, Elliott met saxophonist Jon Irabagon after joining Jon Lundbom's Big V Chord. The initial drummer in MOPDtK was Vincent Sperrazza who participated in the rehearsals leading up to the quartet's first gig, November 25. Sperrazza was unable to make the gig, and his last minute replacement was Kevin Shea who had met Elliott through Mary Halvorson. The performance, at a L.E.S. series curated by Will Connell at Niagra, included a solo by Shea in which he removed his shirt and whipped his drums with it. The perfect drummer had been discovered!

Initially, the repertoire of MOPDtK included both originals by Elliott, Evans and Irabagon, and jazz standards such as "Skippy," "Moanin'" and "A Night in Tunisia." All of Elliott's compositions are always named after towns in Pennsylvania which gives his titles both conceptual distance from the musical material and an amusing back-story. The band slowly began to transform from a free-improvising jazz band, to an ensemble that deconstructed both jazz standards and Elliott's compositions, weaving in and out of styles erratically and often humorously."-Hot Cup