by Bob Makin
05/17/2024

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is “Black SwanP” from the EP “Dark Sparks” (pictured), released earlier this year. ART BY MARY MEHALICK

Makin Waves 2023 Bassist of the Year Mike Noordzy is just about as busy as can be. When not backing other musicians, he focuses on his own jazzy instrumentals, the latest of which are collected on the five-song EP, “Dark Sparks.”

The Nacht Records outing includes "Black SwanP,” the Makin Waves Song of the Week.

As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “Black SwanP” also can be heard between 6 and 8 p.m. on May 17 on “Radio Jersey” at ThePenguinRocks.com. If you miss it, you can tune in any time in the archives at The Penguin and Mixcloud.

About the tune, Mike said, “What starts as a mysterious Burt Bacharach-on-acid type of vibe soon devolves into a perverse bossa nova, concluding with a distorted contra alto clarinet and trombone noise orgy.”

The EP is a second serving of Mike’s instrumental alt-noir following the 2023 four-song effort, “Sleaze Greaze.”

The same melodic intoxicants and hypnotic rhythms as its swampy predecessor feature a soft rip of romance lurking in the shadows. Mike, who also plays clarinet on “Dark Sparks,” again works with vibraphonist Mary Mehalick (who also again designed the album artwork), resonator guitarist Josh Siegel, and trombonist Ian Young. They are joined by accordionist Frankie Midnight and drummer-percussionist Jem Seidel. Several of them played in the New Brunswick jazz-funk ensemble Rugburn, who were friends with Mike’s band El Noordzo.

Upcoming gigs include June 1 at Prototype 247 in Paterson with Joy on Fire and June 15 as part of the return of Asbury Underground during the North2Shore Festival, where Mike and his band will be playing the Joe Harvard stage at Parlor Gallery.

For more, visit him on BandCamp.

Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at [email protected].