I read some enthusiastic reviews concerning a jazz, or something along that line, outfit known as the "Dead Kenny G's". For my regular readers, even if I don't know of most of you, that must be a shocker to know I, Dan Gent, typed the last two thirds of what was in quotes.

Well, how else do we find out about said band than the beloved major video outlet online, and there is a fair amount of footage to peruse. What we have is a saxophone player doubling electronic keys, a bassist and drummer. Hey, they've formed a playing unit and I haven't but alas, there is a formula at work here I have observed from various iconoclasts since the dawn of the 1970's.

First comes a literal squall of sound. It's beyond the joke of three people on separate tunes: three people who may as well physically be fleeing each other. But then, here comes something to which bands from San Francisco doing the "Hey, we're all different but groovy" thing on have resorted.

The approximation of an elemental James Brown funk bass riff with the drums and sax playing something, well, funky. Okay, square, don't despair, here's something more familiar to your conformist L-7 mind set.

For a long time I've heard how out of it one can be if they haven't dug Sun Ra. What, I haven't? I must be a minion of "Doc [Serverensen] and the boys!" I heard the alleged denizens of Jupiter (or Saturn---look for thyself) in the 80's on a neat television show David Sanborn hosted (he hosted while the network hid it) and, the kids who made an instant switch from early Deep Purple right to avant garde jazz were correct: I was taken aback.

The first song was called "Space Is The Place" and the melody reminded me of the Mickey Mouse big bands Channel 13 would put on Sunday afternoons to combat that darned rock and roll around 1963. Then during all three of their numbers an alto sax player performed the same thing on his breaks: a shredded trill between the same two notes. I had an immature friend who grabbed my tenor sax in the 70's a couple of times and did the same thing. Maybe he managed a more sophisticated three note dis-figure-ation.

Even being meaningful in the avant garde involves work. Sorry if I've ruined anyone's rebellious day.