Noodles
2002
Babyblaue Seiten
Review by Thomas Kohlruß
October 2004
(Translated from the original German by Stefan Lange of Trigon)
At 21.07.2004 I had the opportunity to see Frogg Café live in Würzburg in one of these brilliant Freakshow-concerts of Charlie Heidenreich. At the concert I acquired (well, the CD was given as a cost-free supplement in the purchase of both studio albums) a CD (or a CDR? I am not realy sure...) named "Noodles", containing recordings that were originated during a four hour (!!) jam at 26.06.2002.
Apparently a large part of recorded material was lost unfortunately sovwe only can enjoy the rescued "leftovers" on this CD. By the way it seems that guitarist Frank Camiola has left the band meanwhile, on the purported concert in Würzburg a certain Stephen Uh played the guitar, but not less virtuos...
Frogg Café play here through 5 (well yes, actually 4) rather loose, relaxed jams, that have their focal point clearly on the jazz, jazz-rock side of the band. The retro-prog-elements of the regular studio albums are hardly represented here, instead there are rather skew and oblique key-sounds, crazy trumpets solos and a lot of violine that is sometimes hardly to distinguish from the keys. As a coarse comparison for the "mood" on this album there is the Track "Candy Korn" (minus vocals of course) of the debut album. Apart from that the music sounds often like an intersection out of Traffic and the Dixie Dregs...
The jams have to be sure no real structure or melody, but offer nevertheless some halt for the ears and there are a few things to discover so the music does not become boring. The opener "Eliche" for example drips relaxed-sluggishly out of the boxes until after about 18 minutes the guitar pulls suddenly an bestial groove and transfers that song in more rock regions. "Fusilli" on the other hand is dominated by gloomy keyboard sounds and a deeply grumbling bass. "Orecchiette" is a free formed keys embedding ... and so on. All kinds of surprises make sure there is entertainment again and again.
A relaxed, but yet exciting instrumental album which clearly underlines the musicality of this band. As a little joke occasionally spoken and/or shouted parts of "Dr. Mac" and "Brother Bam" are interspersed.
Quotation: "There is nothing better than a one chord mindless jam...Eat!" There is nothing to add . By the way the titles of the single jams are surely kinds of noodles. And unfortunately I do not know whether the album is available on other ways except when it is sold on concerts of the band. And why I am able to write a review so quickly? Because the album belays my player since acquisition and doesn't want to come out any more ...
Progression Magazine
Review by Aaron Jazy
November 2004
If you are familiar with Frogg Cafe’s two studio albums you know the band has always sported an inventive, improvisational spirit. On Noodles this spirit takes center stage. Recorded live in the studio on June 26, 2002, all of the material on the album was performed in one take over the period of four hours (with humorous voice over’s by Dr. Mac and Brother Bam).
Noodles, founding guitarist Frank Camiola’s Frogg Café swansong, is a fascinating look at a band’s creative process and demonstrates its many influences – jam, jazz and avante-garde classical and good old fashioned prog. Perhaps the album’s highlight is “Tagliarini” a 14 minute jam built on a fascinating rhythmic figure full of possibilities – somewhat reminiscent of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. Bill Ayasse first offers a colorful violin lead before handing the figure’s reins to Nick Lieto and his trumpet. From there the piece builds in intensity in a very Crimsoid manner.
While offerings of a band’s studio improvisations or demos often disappoint and sometimes seem gratuitously commercial (are you listening Neal Morse?) Noodles is a rare example that satisfies.
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