Once in awhile, you hear an album that reminds you of why you initially got hooked on jazz, and this recent release by fusion drummer Bob Holz is a classic Exhibit A. Like many, fusion a la Weather Report, Return to Forever or The Brecker Brothers was my “gateway” into things like Miles, Coltrane and Mingus, and Holz, a guy who’s played with many of the leaders of the plugged in crowd, delivers a vintage sounding release the perfectly blends rocking grooves with snappy solos.
He’s put together an A list team with LA sax legend Brandon Fields, along with Ralph Armstrong/ b, Alex Machacek/g and Billy Steinway/key. All of the colors of the fusion palate are delivered here, as Holtz delvers a soulful backbeat (and nifty solo) on which Fields long boards for “The Chicken” and gets into a funk fest with Armstrong under Steinways soaring keys on “Jemin Eye’N” . Machacek sears around the intricate and complex “Silverthrone” like a Formula One driver, and the similarly Weather Reportish “Eleven High” gives enough space for Armstrong to slap his strings and Steinway to stretch out like Play-Doh.
There’s also some time for relaxing, as Holz hits the high hat on the reggae-ish “Jammin Man” and is suave with the brushes on the lovely “Volta”, with the tide building up to a rich climax at the close. As far as late night moods, Holtz glides like Astaire in support of Fields and a dainty Machacek on “ Larry’s blues” and Steinway is restrained and refined on his intro to “Better Try” for handing the baton to Fields for a luscious solo aria.
The mix of energy and lyricism is something that, once you hear it on this release, you realize that this is what’s missing in most of today’s music. These guys make it sound easy, but if it were, why isn’t anyone else doing it?