With the signing of super-groups such as Antibalas and Super Numeri it seems that the Ninja camp is getting physically larger with each new act they gobble up these days. Jaga Jazzist is a hefty ten-piece from Norway who like to make a lot of noise by any means necessary. Throwing several instruments into the mix, such as trombone, clarinet, tuba and vibraphone, this crew can be capable of making quite the wall of sound. Though its when these Scandinavians trail off into a softer more orchestral phase that The Stix really begins to shine. Hearing that number of instruments blend to create elegant jazz numbers such as "Aerial Bright Dark Round or the electronic grooves of "Suomi Finland is far more rewarding than the massive freestyle racket that this team sometimes wander off to. Hearing what a ten-piece can pull off on record is always an interesting venture, but where bands like Jaga Jazzist must really shine is on stage, not necessarily on your living room stereo.
(Ninja Tune)Jaga Jazzist
The Stix
BY Noel DixPublished Jun 1, 2003