METALWOOD
THE RECLINE

Telarc

At first glance Canadian jazz-funksters Metalwood might appear to be aiming for the same funky, eclectic, post-modern territory mined by Medeski, Martin, and Wood, but a closer listen reveals a group that is closer, in many ways, to the approach taken by early fusion bands such as Weather Report. Certainly the Chris Tarry composition "U.B. the Monster" (divided into an bass solo intro and the tune itself) recalls Weather Report, with its Jaco-inspired fretless bass work and soprano sax melody statement. Metalwood takes everything done with electric funk/jazz fusion, from when Miles & Joe Zawinul first brought the Fender Rhodes to the fore on In a Silent Way right up to today's turntable scratch-n-sample antics, and puts it into a blender fueled by exceptional musicianship. The result is music that carries all the good qualities of its genetic makeup without many of the flaws.

The two main composers are trumpet/keyboard maestro Brad Turner and bassist Chris Tarry, who split the compositional chores somewhat evenly, with sax player Mike Murley providing one track as well. The first half of the disc is skewed towards Tarry's work, with the second half devoted to the compositions of Turner. Turner's tracks tend to be the more overtly funky, with three of his compositions featuring guests John Scofield, DJ Logic, or both. There are, of course, exceptions, such as "Mr. Mike", which calls to mind the second Miles Davis Quintet (featuring Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter) or Hancock's own '60s Blue Note groups. The track demonstrates the abilities of all four Metalwood musicians and firmly establishes their jazz pedigrees. "Bumpus", on the other hand, begins with DJ Logic's scratching and turns into a somewhat pedestrian fusion outing (kind what the Average White Band might have sounded like if they'd all been excellent jazz musicians and allowed for some improvisation). If I had to hazard a guess (very hazardous, indeed) I'd say that Chris Tarry is the Weather Report fan in the group, not because his compositions evoke Zawinul & Co. so much, but rather because his pieces feel very open and lack the claustrophobic machine-like funk beat sometimes found in fusion. His "U.B. the Monster" is easily the disc's most interesting track, providing rhythmic and harmonic twists and turns while offering a kind of "nobody solos' everyone solos" feeling. On the other hand, the album's opener, "Strollin'" is more than a bit reminiscent of the territory mined by Medeski, Martin and Wood.

The second half of the disc kicks off with Turner's "Lemming", a high-energy affair that serves as a great Fender Rhodes workout for Turner. "New Pants" brings Scofield back as well as giving Turner an opportunity to demonstrate his trumpet chops, which certainly owe a debt to the electric-era Miles. Scofield is excellent on all his solos on this album, providing his usual level of excitement and a unique sound, but keeping his overall contributions low-key and allowing his hosts to shine. Murley's compositional contribution, "The Hipster" has a definite Herbie Hancock groove about it, and allows the composer to stretch his tenor chops. Murley is right on throughout The Recline, always providing the right tonal color and horn (tenor or soprano sax) for the occasion. "The main thing about playing music is to get the right people together, and after that, it’s easy" the sax man has been quoted as saying, and there is no question that Metalwood represents a collection of the right people for the music they are creating.

To me it is the highest of compliments to say that Metalwood harkens back to the early days of jazz fusion, because that is where the most creative music was made and the emphasis was always on musicianship, on tonal colors and interesting compositions as well as well-constructed solos, rather than merely on playing electronic instruments or wildly demonstrating technique at the expense of the overall musical statement. The Recline is pleasant music at first listen, but it bears repeated listening and will offer up more of its pleasures when listened to more frequently and with careful attention. In a time when more and more interesting currents in jazz are arising outside the borders of the United States, Metalwood is certainly one of the most interesting bands to arise on the Canadian jazz scene and is poised to become influential globally as well.