A casual glance at BeebleBrox's Quantumn Tweezers CD, with its oddball computer graphic images and strange song titles ('YES, send me the next issue FREE' is my personal favorite) might give a strange impression. But make no mistake, BeebleBrox is not a group of computer geeks, but of serious and sly musicians with worlds to offer. Tweezers is an affecting journey, with lots to do and see along the way. Each track is unusual, from the bubbling, crazed fusion epic alluded to previously, to the strikingly sparse electric violin-piano duet 'The Saga of C and C.'. Where 'Balding Balladeer' is graceful and dark, with singing bass of the Del Palmer variety, 'Gateway' struts with electric guitar in bluesy setting - the group's tightly-timed hesitance lends grit and emotion. Many of the Brox compositions include unusual instrumental combinations which illustrate their coyly presented subjects. 'Riding the Wings of the Buzzard,' for example, offers a blurping tenor sax melody dipping across a wiggy organ line and pull-off bass licks for an offbeat, charming feel. The novelty of finding a band named from the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy may cause you to pick Quantumn Tweezers off the shelf, but their artistry and humor will make you stay.
JazzTimes, December 1996, page 107---------Quantumn Tweezers, Acme Records.
Reviewed by staff writer Jay Harvey.
*** = goodBeebleBrox, a contemporary-jazz group established in their native Germany by Monika Herzig and Peter Kienle in 1983, continues to prosper as an American transplant, with the founding couple now married.
Based in Bloomington, the group is centered on Kienle's guitar and Herzig's keyboards, with regular members Jack Helsley, bass, and Dan Vonnegut, drums, completing the lineup. Frequent collaborator Tom Clark makes vital contributions on saxophone and flute, and there's a cameo appearance by electric violinist Cathy Morris.
If you are put off by whimsy, you may not get past the disc's title and cover art - not to mention such song titles as 'YES - Send me the Next Issue, FREE' and 'Balding Balladeer'. But the music inside, while abundant to a fault, consistently delivers on the implied promise that BeebleBrox is capable of going in just about any direction at any time.
If there is a BeebleBrox signature tune, it would be a piece with a chugging, infectious rhythm that permits honest reflection as well as pure party energy to play a role. This is characteristic of Herzig's 'For McCoy', as well as the somewhat long winded 'Left of Center'.
The episodic structure of many BeebleBrox tunes adds a constant sense of adventure, even when the payoff isn't great ('Out on Blue Six'). 'Riding the Wings of the Buzzard' is among the disc's highlights, a well-balanced number that makes up for such Kienle indulgences as the blues-drenched 'Gateway'.
Indianapolis Star-----------BeebleBrox: more than a bandThese guys have got their hands into everything from production to performance to puppetryTwo of the nicest people in this area of jazz are Monika Herzig and Peter Kienle. This young married couple is also one of the most ambitious, motivated and creative on the local jazz scene. Professionally, they are founders and co-leaders of BeebleBrox. These two have a very hip, sly sense of Sci-fi humor that is reflected throughout all of their albums. Their latest CD is 'Quantumn Tweezers', on their brand new record company, Acme Records. (For Roadrunner fans, Wily Coyote does not own a piece of the action.
)Kienle and Herzig give credit to Kevin Kouts, a drummer with The Mathematicians, for the idea of founding Acme Records. Acme Records was formed because of a perceived need for a recording outlet for eclectic, high-quality music by creative artists. And the couple are open to suggestions, involvement and especially investors while they are still putting it together. Talk about ambitious - check out some of the future album projects they plan to release on Acme Records.
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