After touring the planet in the wild trio known as Medeski, Martin, and Wood, it is not wonder that rhythm man Billy Martin wanted to roll some tape with some serious horns. [iframe class=”spotify-right” src=”https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:album:1lkf47u5JlnSdaNx7RrLpz” width=”300″ height=”380″ frameborder=”0″ allowtransparency=”true”]Buy on AmazonBuy on iTunesAnd serious horns is what he gets with Downtown NYC stalwarts tubist Marcus Rojas (Spanish Fly), trombonist Curtis Fowlkes (Lounge Lizards/Jazz Passengers/Big Apple Circus), and Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob, Mellenial Territory Orchestra/Levon Helm). Given that eclecticism is a dearly held value for the band here, it is no surprise that it touches on a great variety of songs. The album starts with a light African number “Ghumba Zumba” with its airy horns and Martin’s use of his full set of drums and then some. There’s also the heavy low riff, courtesy of Rojas’ tuba, of their cover of the White Stripes’ “Button to Button” that is totally slamming and the familiar traditional South-of-the-Border melodies of “Canta Y No Llores.” The song genres may vary, but what they all share is a dance energy that should get booty shaking no matter what the venue. There are even a couple New Orleans-type songs, the fluidly funky “Muffaletta” and the energetic, sparse King Oliver-penned “Sugarfoot Stomp” (any band that covers King Oliver, one of the originators of jazz, is the bomb in my book). The collective sounds like a New Orleans band such as Egg Yolk Jubilee except with more chops and less booze. As a musical statement, Heels Over Head comes off as a great party record or old (and I mean early last century) school dance record.