Global Noize

Producer/keyboard wiz Jason Miles and DJ Logic are the chief conspirators on this innovative, genre-crunching project that also features Meshell Ndegeocello, Cyro Baptista, Vernon Reid, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell and Karl Denson. There's quite a sonic variety in these 11 tracks. Opener "A Jam 4 Joe" is emblematic of the album's eclecticism. Miles and Logic are joined by Ndegeocello, Reid, Baptista and Indian vocalist Falu on a tribute to the late Joe Zawinul that's at once uptempo and ethereal, jazz-infused with a hint of South Asia. "Quero Dancar/I Wanna Dance With You" offers a heavily syncopated chill vibe with a vocal by Vanessa Fallabella that's more insinuated than sung. And "Exotic Thoughts" is a delicious, lazy funk-jazz tune animated by the extended interplay between Scott's trumpet and Denson's sax. —Philip Van Vleck - Billboard

I had the pleasure of watching DJ Logic at work last year on the North Sea Jazz Cruise, defiantly spinning a web of electronica with flavors from around the world. Those brisk nights under the stars were but a sneak preview of the senses-pleasing excursion he whisks you on with producer Jason Miles on this evocative disc. Assembling a cast of instrumental superstars that includes trumpeters Herb Alpert and Christian Scott, guitarist Vernon Reid (of Living Colour), bassist MeShell Ndegeocello, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Cyro Baptista and saxophonist Karl Denson, Logic & Miles soothe you from head to toe with a set that feels like a magic carpet day ride to the sunniest climes our earth has to offer. Forget highlights. Just start at track 1…and sail on. - The Urban Network

Global Noize bills itself as a project merging jazz, electronica and world music. Its inclusion of the latter becomes spotty at points, yet it is nonetheless a wonderful fusion album featuring some big bang names from the world of groove, including John Popper of Blues Traveler and the album's curator, keyboardist Jason Miles.

Fireworks start right away with "A Jam 4 Joe" featuring Vernon Reid, formerly of Living Colour, and the terrific Me'Shell Ndegeocello. Those familiar with Ndegeocello's work will instantly recognize her signature bass. The combined trumpets, keys and faint steel drum and DJ scratches set the tone for a great album.

The touches of world music -a slightly xenophobic term, because if we lived somewhere else, wouldn't American music be world? - becomes more explicit on the samba "Quero Dancar" and the vaguely African "Dar'abesque." All this is endearing music, oscillating from dance-worthy to downtempo.

There's nothing terribly "world" about the tracks "Planetary Beat" or "Spin Cycle," but let's not get bogged down in semantics and technicalities - just enjoy this kind of slick, modern jazz when it pops into your, um, world.

- Malcolm Venable, The Pilot - The Virginian-Pilot

Truly the Quincy Jones of contemporary jazz, Grammy winning composer and keyboardist Jason Miles has always been a master at gathering high-profile artists and musicians and cleverly redefining the past. His discography boasts all-star tribute albums to Ivan Lins, Grover Washington, Jr. and Weather Report, along with recent solo projects that tackle Marvin Gaye and America's unique heritage of soul music (Soul Summit). With Global Noize, his fascinating, boundary-busting dual project with scratchmeister and turntable guru DJ Logic, Miles is firmly securing the vibrant future of modern jazz, creating a vibe that's a freewheeling swirl of jazz, funk, electronica, world fusion, and blues that's grounded at times, trippy and sensual most of the time, and -- on the wings of the ethereal vocals of Falu -- truly transcendent and spiritual. Global Noize is the 2000s equivalent to the way Weather Report and Return to Forever drove the spirit of jazz fusion in the '70s. The clear Weather Report inspiration is a good reference point, as the hypnotically percussive and sensual, sometimes otherworldly opener "A Jam 4 Joe" is dedicated to Joe Zawinal. As DJ Logic scratches in the background, Falu emotes dreamily, MeShell Ndegéocello bubbles on bass, Vernon Reid (Living Colour) sizzles on guitar and Karl Denson's horns burn on through. That's just the warmup for the globetrotting to follow. First stop, the bubbling "Spice Island," where Bernie Worrell holds court on clavinet and organ as Miles creates cool vibes harmony lines behind him. Ever wonder what happened to Blues Traveler? They're still around and John Popper pops his insanely witty and soulful harmonica melody over some jungly retro-soul beats and atmospheres that will put you in a bluesy state of hypnosis. Some hot club dancing comes next as the hypnotizing gets groovier on "Quera Dancar," pumped along by the super sexy whispery vocals of Vanessa Fallabella. Miles and DJ Logic's guest list also includes trumpet greats from two generations, Herb Alpert and Christian Scott. Keeping things bright but moody where it counts, Alpert's not in Tijuana anymore, but in "Dar'abesque," named after a villa Miles and DJ Logic inhabited during a life changing trip to Marrakech. On "Spin Cycle," Scott adds bright and increasingly intense improvisational energy to a realm fused with energetic percussion, crisp scratches, and wild runs by Miles mood mixing synth sounds. The young trumpet master shows darker tones on the worldbeat jazz chillout tune "Exotic Secrets," which features Suphala on tabla. These descriptions only capture pieces of the soul stirring texturing that happens throughout this extraordinary disc. Jason Miles has lived well in jazz and R&B's storied past, and it's exciting to see him putting the same creativity into his embrace of a vibe that bodes well for jazz's future. - Allmusic.com

DJ Logic and Jason Miles haven't merely epitomized the term "world music" with their brainchild Global Noize (Shanachie), but rather redefined what that vague musical classification can encompass. In creating such a diversified mixture, they've set an entirely new bar of what the genre is capable of implying. Blending flavors of funk, jazz, calypso, Afrobeat, reggae and Arabic music, to name a few, the album takes listeners on an auditory odyssey around the entire planet, making stops at notable locales and infusing the native styles with hues of more modern ones like electronica and hip-hop.

Rounding out the remaining core members of Global Noize on top of Miles' keyboards and Logic's turntables, kalimba and Korg Kaoss Pad are saxophonist/flutist Karl Denson, Medeski, Martin & Wood drummer Billy Martin and percussionist Cyro Baptista. But the cast of characters doesn't stop at the core. The span of additional guests includes Bernie Worrell, John Popper, guitarist Vernon Reid, jazz musician Christian Scott and acclaimed tabla player Suphala.

"Spice Island" opens sounding much like a hip-hop number out of Logic's catalogue, but quickly transitions and builds: first with the inclusion of Worrell's organ/clavinet, then the addition of steel drums, turning it into more of a jazzy, spacey, tropical boogie. A number of other tracks possess the same type of evolving nature, starting one way then subtly shifting into something else, then either returning to the origin or finishing off altogether differently. "Spin Cycle" has an intro that gives it the guise of a seemingly straightforward rock & roll piece that also features Logic's scratches at front and center. Bar after bar, however, as the woodwinds and later the brass take over the lead, it becomes a splendid modern jazz assortment, with the drums remaining constant and scratches taking a backseat.

Karl Denson alternates from saxophone to flute, sometimes overlaying both simultaneously, to power "Planetary Beat," supported further by a funky bassline and some animated helpings from Miles on keys. "Bollyhood," with its delicately dreamy vocals by Falu, can pass for either the backbeat of a Brazilian capoeira session or an early attempt at Indian rap. Whichever the case, though brief, the exotic track can easily move those stationary while listening. "What I Know" is less structured and more whimsical than most others on the LP but still nonetheless brilliant. A mechanical beat lays the groundwork for Logic's swapping of his ones and twos for a kalimba - a small, metallic African sound box that sounds like a jaw harp - plus intermittent pianos, random flutes and soothing spoken word by Aline Racine. "Exotic Thoughts" ascends and descends to the pace of Scott's trumpeting, textured more so by the rapid tablas and tingling wah-wah guitar licks, making it yet another song with a nationalistic identity crisis that one couldn't be more content with.

By: Greg Gargiulo

- JamBase

...I shuffled over to the annual Bayou Rendezvous at Howlin' Wolf, an annual event that takes a new shape each and every year. In essence, it's an unrehearsed "super-jam" of sorts, where killer players from all over come together for some Cajun ragin' at the Wolf. This year, Russell Batiste led a troupe of heavy hitters including guitarists Eric Krasno (dude was everywhere), NOLA's own Leo Nocentelli (The Meters) and others.

A difficult act to follow, relative newcomers Global Noize took the stage with some star power of their own. Taking a break-beat/down-tempo turn, Global Noize set a euphoric tone with a demonstrative performance. Their distinctive sound was enhanced by the turntable tactics of DJ Logic, the classically trained piano virtuosity of Uri Caine, the sax combo of Karl Denson and Topaz (with Denson also on flute) and Mike Dillon's exotic, erotic vibraphonics. The diversity of Jazz Fest was on full display at the Bayou Rendezvous as Global Noize slithered their way through a snake charming set.

By: Jessica Dore - JamBase