Mark Nishita, a.k.a. Money Mark, is a hard man to pin down. If you recognize the name, it’s most likely because of his role as the fourth (or is it fifth?) Beastie Boy from the days of Check Your Head on, but he’s been doing his solo thing all along.

This track pulled from the album Change is Coming is a more laid-back, jazz hole of a project for him - the sampling and weirdness have really taken a back seat this time out. There are a surprising number of “traditional” instruments here, including congas, guitars, saxophone, and flute, making Money Mark feel more like a bandleader than anything else. The album is strictly instrumental, for one thing and it delves into retro-sounding jazz/funk/salsa with an awe-inspiring intensity. It’s a testament to his skills as a songwriter and all-round musician that Nishita’s keyboard tends to sit in the background on most of the tracks; heck, a few of them, like “Information Contraband”, don’t even have a keyboard (well, okay — if it does, I can’t distinguish it from the guitars). This is less about a showcase for Mark’s keyboard skills than it is about the music, and that’s a very good thing.

If you are a fan of The Beastsie Boys earlier works, especially the instrumentals, grab this album with haste! Everytime I put it on, I have an overpowering urge to take a long, slow, even-paced & groovy road trip to California.

NOTE: LINK FIXED - opps….

Bookmark It

Hide Sites