The Brooklyn Attractors are a groove force to be reckoned with. This jazz-injected ska project is the brainchild of Rich Graiko, trumpet player for Westbound Train and Void Union. Brooklyn-based or otherwise, his Boston roots are deep.
His band recently released a live studio album which premiered over at Rootfire.
On March 26, 2014, The Brooklyn Attractors, including Victor Axelrod, Andy Bassford, Larry McDonald, Brett Tubin, Dan Jeselsohn, Eddie Ocampo, Buford O’Sullivan, Anant Pradhan, Luke Penella, and Rich Graiko came together to play a show at the Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn, NY. Thankfully the audio was captured by the crew at Shapeshifter Lab and subsequently made available for release. This became LIVE IN NYC, The Brooklyn Attractors sophomore album and a rare hifi glance into the modern underground NYC Jamaican Jazz scene. The following is the unedited audio from that evening.
Some of the tunes appear on their 2014 record “Good Evil Alchemy” on Whatevski Records (Jump Up has the vinyl), others are new. You probably heard the first track, “Jamaica Bay,” on the RareBreed summer compilation. The album touches on rocksteady and early reggae vibes that should speak to fans of bands like Void Union. The horn arrangements come across bright and new, even when performing standards (such as “Occupation”). The rhythm section is top notch, keeping things in the pocket so the horns have all the room they need. But, this is what we expect from such an all-star roster.
Stream the full record below, and purchase the digital from RareBreed/Paper and Plastick.
Big Tunes: Dynamite, Green Mango, Ramble.
Get to know Rich even better in his recent interview with ReadJunk. When Rich isn’t performing with his Rich Graiko Group at Beat Hotel, he can probably be seen performing with Void Union at Devlin’s. The Attractors might be from Brooklyn, but something tells me Rich will always have one foot in Boston.
Stay glued to our show calendar for shows with bands that may or may not feature Mr. Graiko!