Soul Menu by Mikel Rouse Broken Consort

“Pulsating, hypnotic, sinuous-if Steve Reich had teamed up with Deep Purple, something like Soul Menu might have been the result.”
-ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

Soul Menu was the last release of Rouse’s influential chamber group Mikel Rouse Broken Consort. In 1981, while fronting his pop band Tirez Tirez, Rouse hit upon the idea of a jazz ensemble where all the roles would be reversed. Drums and bass would follow strict metric melodies while keyboard and sax (sometimes including guitar and electronic woodwinds) would keep time. Many people consider Rouse’s recordings with Broken Consort to be one of the first instances of jazz and rock ensembles doing fully notated arrangements anticipating the arrival of Bang On A Can and other ensembles.

Mikel Rouse is a New York-based composer, director, performer and recording artist hailed as “a composer many believe to be the best of his generation.” (NY Times 2002) His works include 25 records, 7 films (including Funding and Music For Minorities), and a trilogy of media operas: Failing Kansas, Dennis Cleveland and The End Of Cinematics.

mikelrouse.com