Eleven Eyes
Depth Perception (2003)

Review by: Chelan David
Date: 10/1/03

Jazz is a beautiful genre. The freest form of musical expression dares you to imagine as improvised notes twist and soar, gradually burying deep into the recesses of your subconscious.

Listening to Depth Perception by Eleven Eyes, I imagine myself drinking hooch in a dimly lit underground jazz hall – possibly in Lower Manhattan or maybe on a hidden street in New Orleans. A light rain falls, the pitter-patter keeping time with the saxophone while the occasional roar of distant thunder echoes the pulsating beat of the turntable.

Unfortunately, one place I can’t imagine hearing Eleven Eyes is on the radio. Not because they’re untalented, simply because it’s tough to pigeonhole them – plus the fact that the few jazz groups that do get airplay typically don’t use turntables. This Oregon-based group is much more than jazz however, seamlessly mixing hip-hop, funk and electronica with instrumental jazz. If Weather Report added Herbie Hancock and DJ Shadow to their lineup the result would be very similar to Eleven Eyes.

Initially formed in 2002, for Tim McLaughlin’s senior trumpet recital at the University of Oregon, the band released its first album Depth Perception in June. The band consists of McLaughlin (trumpet, effects), Matt Calkins (saxophone), Mike Pardew (guitar), Dave Trenkel (bass, keyboards), Steve Weems (drums), and JD Monroe, aka The Turntable Enabler (turntable, electronics).

All ten songs on the disc are enjoyable and are original compositions with the exception of a cover of Herbie Hancock’s "Maiden Voyage." The standout track is "Big Dig" featuring McLaughlin leading the excavation Miles Davis style. Another interesting song is "052402" an eight-and-a-half minute track which features a sample of President Bush saying, "If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier."

Although Eleven Eyes is still in infancy, the band displays a cohesiveness that belies their inexperience playing together. Their debut album is strong and I look forward to tracking their careers and seeing how their work progresses.