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Playing what might be called jazz rock fusion with an edge, the group
Tunnels consists of the trio of midi-vibist
Marc Wagnon, principal writer and classically-trained percussionist; fretless bassist
Percy Jones, co-founder of Brand X; and drummer
Frank Katz.
On their new album, Progressivity, they're joined on some tracks by former Brand X guitarist John Goodsall and virtuostic downtown scene violinist Mark Feldman. The album opens with Wagnon playing an acoustic-guitar-sounding midi vibes solo over Jones's bubbling and burbling bass. Wagnon gets a lot of sonic variety from his instrument-his solo near the end of the piece sounds amazingly like an electric guitar.
The next piece, "Wall to Wall Sunshine," adds Goodsell and Feldman to the trio. With its fast, virtuostic playing and complex rhythm section writing, the piece has some of the intensity and sound of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. "Frank's Beard" is a feature for Feldman, who plays as impressively on the slow second part as he does on the fast beginning. The title track again has Feldman, this time playing over some crisp percussion and excellent bass from Jones.
There's a fairly interesting twenty-minute long improv by the trio in the middle of the album, but the album loses some steam towards the end of its 73 minutes as several of the pieces get more experimental, exploring sonics more than melody.
Overall, Progressivity should be an enjoyable listen for fans of jazz-influenced fusion.
Release Date: 16 April 2002
Tunnels:
Progressivity (Buckyball)
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last update 7 November 2002