gg Hs4kW 5^67
MUSIC CORNER
Acid jazz
By Robert Feuer
Carter Laos
wants to change
the world. With
music. He wants,
through his band,
Resin, “to inspire
people to make a
positive change in
the world,” he said.
His message is a
spiritual one about
empowerment and
political and social
activism, “getting people to think about
their own lives and appreciate what they
have in common.”
On a recent evening at the Ace in the Hole
Pub, in Sebastopol, he sang the songs as well as
playing conga drums, occasionally picking up a
tambourine or maraca. Behind him were three
guitar players, a drummer, a saxophonist and
a trumpet player. Laos wore a black shirt and
a backwards baseball cap, with tattoos the full
length of both arms. One upper arm bore the
phrase, “From Now On.”
“Resin is a classic acid jazz band,” said Laos,
“a mix of Latin, funk, soul, hip hop and jazz.”
Their sound is lively and upbeat, with members
taking turns on instrumental leads. Deep into
the show, they slowed things down for one song.
“The stony groove portion of the set,” Laos
announced.
Most sources claim acidjazz sprouted from the
1970s funk revival and jazz fusion movements. In
the latter part of that decade, in England, Gilles
Peterson started playing rare ’70s grooves while
reciting poetry, at his DJ club set. He named it
acid jazz. In 1988 he formed Acid Jazz Records
in the East End of London.
Resin’s history began in San Francisco
in 1995, from a creative musical workshop.
Laos referred to them as “one of the seminal
acts of the 90s.” From 1996 to 1998 they were
performing four times a week. He said the best
time of his career was opening for the Funky
Meters at a sold-out show at the Fillmore. He
met Art Neville and George Porter backstage,
who had good things to say about the band.
By the turn of the century, musical and
personality differences tore the band apart and
Laos went on to tour with different rock bands,
including one called Reverend Bad. “But rock
is a young man’s game,” he said. He began to
feel too old for that scene and the extensive
touring it required. Early in 2006 he decided to
revive Resin, with all new musicians.
Laos was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1970,
where he learned to play the bongos. At the age
of seven his family moved to the United States.
He started trumpet and cello lessons at age ten.
“Latin music is still in my blood,” he said, but
he was also inspired by the music of African-
American kids he hung out with.
His early musical interests were “blues with
an edge” and “music with a message or a good
beat.” He listened to bluesman Freddy King
and bands like Santana, Pink Floyd and Led
Zeppelin.
Laos credits Miles Davis’ record, “Bitches
Brew,” with taking jazz in a new direction.
Resin’s sound is based on the music of old school
jazz greats, like Davis, John Coltrane and Herbie
Hancock. Other genres are woven throughout,
sometimes crossing paths severgj, times in the
course of one song.
Especially notable in Resin’s show at the Ace
in the Hole was saxophonist, Jordan Wordlaw,
whose soaring leads were uplifting. Laos said
“he knows what he wants to get out of the sax
and puts everything into it.” Wordlaw was once
a member of the swing band, Lee Press-on and
the Nails, and is currently teaching music in the
Sonoma County school system. ■
