David Fiuczynski: Jazz Punk

Scott Andrews

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Published: September 1, 2000

David "Fuze" Fiuczynski, prolific guitarist and songwriter, first gained fame as the leader and primary writer for Screaming Headless Torsos. SHT wielded a funk/jazz/hard rock fusion with full knowledge and rendition of the varied styles they appropriated. Many bands dabble in cross-style combinations without really understanding the other genres they explore, but Fuze and SHT truly breathed all of the various influences stirred into their music.

Fiuczynski's new solo record Jazz Punk also fully lives this multi-style comprehension. Fuze covers music from an astonishingly wide variety of sources, including jazz writers like Chick Corea, Pat Metheney, and Duke Ellington, in addition to Jimi Hendrix, Frederic Chopin, and John Philip Sousa (!). Fuze delivers all of these renditions and a Fuze tune "Jungle Gym Jam" with supreme originality and conviction, in his unique style that mixes jazz sensibilities with punk swagger. The record title perfectly fits this duality in Fuze's musical nature.

Fuze's phat clean guitar tone snakes around the melodies as he uses a fierce vibrato and the fretless neck on his double neck guitar to twist his lines in a microtonal, tastefully dissonant slither. He also cranks out the heavy riffs for stomping contrast when it's time to rock. The three different rhythm sections, including one from his solo tours and one of SHT veterans, follow his lead effortlessly.

The brilliant playing and arrangements on Jazz Punk show that Fiuczynski truly understands many more diverse sources of music than most musicians could hope to merely fake in a lifetime.

Visit www.torsos.com for more information and on-line sales.

Record Label: FuzeLicious Morsels
Style: Fusion/Progressive Rock