Jim Black/Alasnoaxis

Jim Black/Alasnoaxis: Habyor

by C. Michael Bailey
August 1, 2004

This is not jazz-rock fusion. This is not adult contemporary jazz. For God's sake, this is certainly not smooth jazz. Seattle-bred and New York City-based drummer Jim Black's third AlasNoAxis recording continues where he left off on Splay (Winter & Winter, 2002)--exploring the rock side of jazz. Think of AlasNoAxis as a well-behaved Jonas Hellborg/Shawn Lane collaboration with a wide open reeds player. The music is well-constructed with a heavy edge of heavy metal. “Rade" begins like a Black Sabbath ...