Tribal Tech: Rocket Science

Okay, it's time for me to "coin a phrase," to pull a genre rabbit outta ma hat, and try to pin this T Tech release down, (tho' it be a'rigglin' madly), and be done with this weirdling of jazz-ish fusionid birthings. Hunh? Henderson et al have gone off da deep end on dis one folks. It is so full of whacko riffs and bizarro moments that you would think T Tech hath gone mad. But herein lieth genius . . .

Ah yes, that moniker I was seeking, hmm . . . let's try funk-bop-cubist-surrealoid-jazz-rock-blues-world-fusion, or FBCSJRBWF. You catch my drift? T Tech has stretched out into netherworlds of jazz and fusion that seem a hard pill to swallow in a first listen, nearly grating at times — a gut-wrenching challenge. I still can't decide if I like this release as it makes me feel different each listen. Technical prowess is there, utter uniqueness, and serious quirkville as well. So is this an enjoyable listen for most jazzers? Probably not — oops, I said it. What I mean is, you need to be in a certain mood to dig this trip. Imagine Weather Report on steroids running a smooth jazz tour bus off the road then careening into the Jimi Hendrix alternate universe wormhole and Henderson and Hendrix trade riffology but 22nd century style. Hunh?

I dunno, this CD is one heck of a ride folks — ergo my mental gymnastics. I can hear Miles whispering hoarsely from the other side in T Tech's ear, "Go deeper, get out there." Then Jaco mumbles, "Gary, reach for the funk slide avalanche." Jimi screams, "Burn it up, Scott!" And Joe Z seems to soul travelin' into Kinsey's keys. God help poor Kirk doing his level best to interpret this madness! If you need funk, bop, surrealism in sound, rock fusion jamz, and effects too many to list, where mutation of sound is your norm, then per your therapist's orders — grab this release. If however you lean towards the straight and narrow in jazz, rock or fusion — avoid this or you might get a neuronal path or two burned slam out! Ciao baby! (Scott and Scott, you guys are nuts!)