Nuf Said - Rise (2016)

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    The group Nuf Said proves that soul music travels. Four of the five members were born far from the streets and clubs of New York City where they met and formed a musical bond over their shared love of jazz, funk, R&B, soul and rock ‘n roll music. Most of Nuf Said’s roster hails from the Central and Southeastern European countries of Austria and Romania.

    However, the group met in the Big Apple and connected over their love of the music rooted in the African-American cultural experience. The members of the quintet wrote music, performed and eventually cut two records, the second of which is Rise.

    The group Nuf Said proves that soul music travels. Four of the five members were born far from the streets and clubs of New York City where they met and formed a musical bond over their shared love of jazz, funk, R&B, soul and rock ‘n roll music. Most of Nuf Said’s roster hails from the Central and Southeastern European countries of Austria and Romania.

    However, the group met in the Big Apple and connected over their love of the music rooted in the African-American cultural experience. The members of the quintet wrote music, performed and eventually cut two records, the second of which is Rise.

    The 10 track project includes "It's Alright", which takes a line from Cole Porter’s “It’s Alright With Me” and creates a new song that goes in an entirely different direction. Nuf Said slows the tune down and opens it up by putting bassist DJ Gilyard and drummer Peter Kronreif up front – creating an enjoyable, grinding funk number. The openness provides space for Ioana Vintu’s vocal instrument, and, as in a couple of other instances on Rise, this exposes the limits of her range. Interestingly, I watched several Nuf Said, live performances in concert and in studios and she comes across as relaxed and engaging and the performances are strong.

    Her work on the “Ring My Bell,” the strongest track on Rise seems to hint to the fact that the arrangement on the standard might have been a bit too open. “Ring My Bell” puts equal emphasis on Vintu’s vocals and a very strong band that is equally adept as a funk jam band and as jazz improvisers. The top flight players gives Nuf Said plenty of room to grow, and the band’s live performances provide ample hint that the group has a high ceiling if they can consistently translate what they do on stage to record. This is a group to watch. Moderately Recommended.

    By Howard Dukes