Global Noize

Jam bands playing Boulder are a dime a dozen. But once in a while, a group comes into town whose imaginative compositions are rich enough to burst the bounds of self-indulgent musicianship. Taking worldbeat to its logical conclusion, Global Noize combines elements of jazz, rock and funk in a way...

By Tom Murphy

August 28, 2008

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Jam bands playing Boulder are a dime a dozen. But once in a while, a group comes into town whose imaginative compositions are rich enough to burst the bounds of self-indulgent musicianship. Taking worldbeat to its logical conclusion, Global Noize combines elements of jazz, rock and funk in a way that makes the music sound like it could have been written in New York, Damascus or Cairo. Not too surprising, considering the roster includes members of Groove Collective, the Allman Brothers, the Headhunters and P-Funk. Bernie Worrell, P-Funk's keyboard wizard, who was also once a member of Talking Heads, brings more than a touch of that weirdness to this project.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

Follow:

Twitter: @simianthinker