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Howard Fishman Quartet
Do What I Want
(Monkey Farm)
First Appeared at The Music Box, September 2003, Volume 10, #9
Written by John Metzger
For those who have wondered what it might sound like if Lou Reed changed
directions and began fronting a jazz ensemble, the Howard Fishman Quartet’s
Do What I Want provides a fitting answer. "You’ve been in all my dreams/But
they haven’t all been bad/I’ve been thinking all about the good times/That you
and I never had," sings Fishman with a similar deadpan drawl on the opening
track Good Times. Yes, the Howard Fishman Quartet has made quite a
dramatic shift in direction on its latest outing, fully embracing rock ’n‘ roll
as organs swirl and electric guitars whirl over driving drum beats. Though the
end result is vaguely reminiscent of both Morphine and Andrew Bird, it also
doesn’t really sound much like either. Instead it fuses a disparate array of
influences together into something refreshingly distinct from everything else
currently on the increasingly homogenous market.
Undoubtedly, Do What I Want will come as a bit of a shock to the
Howard Fishman Quartet’s fans as previous efforts drew heavily from the jazz and
swing ruminations of Django Reinhardt, the earthy blues of Charley Patton, and
the mountain musings of Ralph Stanley. Yet, the band hasn’t totally discarded
these strands of early American music either, thereby retaining at least some of
its old-time charm. Indeed, the sounds of the past continue to bubble to the
surface through the jazzy flights of trumpeter Erik Jekabson, the percussive
flourishes of drummer Mark McLean, the acoustic bass patter of Jonathan Flaugher,
the textured keyboards of Brian Pearl, the acoustic country-folk guitar of
Fishman, and the soothingly sophisticated violin accompaniments of Russell
Farhang. It’s just that this time, the songs reverberate with more than a touch
of New York grit. It’s a strange concoction, but it’s also one that works quite
well, at least in the hands of Fishman. Whether launching into the tender
strains of In Another Life, the groovy funk of the title track, or the
laid-back folk-blues of New Life, he pulls it all together by exploring
the dichotomy between joy and sorrow from a startlingly singular musical
perspective. 
Do What I Want is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2003
The Music Box
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