4 of US

There's funky, and then there's super-bad-ass funky. 4 of US embody the latter description -- as it should. The act, previously known as Frequenox, is made up of members of Robert Walter's 20th Congress, the Greyboy Allstars and Galactic, each all-stars in their own right. Keyboardist Walter's mastery of the Hammond organ is quickly becoming the stuff of legend. His old-school rhythmic attack combines with guitarist Wil Bernard's brilliant single-note lines to form a deeply complex cross rhythm that takes the tunes from deep, skanky boogaloos to exquisite exploratory jazz. Add to that the second-line New Orleans shuffles and swampy grooves doled out by the famed Galactic rhythm section of drummer Stanton Moore and bassist Robert Mercurio, and what you've got, quite simply, is a master-class clinic from four of the funkiest cats on the planet.