Guitar god
Scott Henderson is a fusion fanatic's dream, by virtue of his wild yet fluid and even melodic riffs. Bassist
Gary Willis lacks Henderson's range compositionally and as a player, but still manages to keep the proceedings grooving. Backed by the keys of
David Goldblatt, Joey Heredia's drums and the percussion of
Brad Dutz, the two form a powerful musical bond as
Tribal Tech. Unlike their previous album, TT's new disc features more melodies (the best ones, "Peru" and "Signal Path" are by Henderson), the softening effect of Goldblatt's key soloing and a tighter tune structure and production all around. There's still lots and lots of improvising, but on the less memorable Willis tunes, it seems to go on interminably. Pop jazz fans will finally be able to relate to Henderson's solid playing by virtue of a smoother context, but it's still mostly geared for the guitar lover or student. Extra credit is due for the very creative song titles, including "Elvis at the Hop" and "The Necessary Blond."