Search - Tony Trischka :: Bend

For all you Bela Fleck fans out there...

09/09/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is some wild stuff. Some might object to my putting this in the same category as Bela Fleck, but in my book these two are definitely in the same zip-code. The obvious similarity is that they are both superb banjoists (Is there such a word?) and play some incredible Jazz. They differ in that some of the transitions from Bluegrass to Jazz in this music give the listener a jolt. (Which I don't particularly mind) whereas in Fleck's work the melding is virtually seamless. Also you have regular use of vocals here in songs that could stand on their own as pop (?) tunes. There is also some pretty intense guitar which you don't find in the Fleck material much. But enough. This is great stuff for anyone looking to expand their musical horizons. I have become increasingly more enthralled with music that starts somewhere and borrows freely from wherever it wants to and ends up somewhere else. This is as good an example of that as you'll find. Pull your skull open, let your brain air out a bit and let this music in. It will take you places not only that you've never been before, it will take you places that never existed before."

Worth the wait

07/03/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"about two years before this CD was released, I attended a banjo seminar hosted by Tony Trischka at the National Guitar Summer WOrkshop, and he was nice enough to give me the Tony Trischka Band's demo tape. I was amazed by Tony's ability to make banjo fit perfectly into funk-fusion, and by Micheal AMendola's ability to play bluegrass saxophone. This CD was well worth the wait. It contains every kind of music from rock, to bluegrass, to Mahavishnu-style prog/fusion, yet flows very naturally from song to song. TTB differs from the flecktones in that Tony Trischka plays more traditional, less syncopated banjo than bela fleck. Tony can however (and this is what really amazes me) frame very syncopated melodies (and solo over syncopated changes) in a very straightahead, bluegrassy style. The presense of glenn Sherman on electric, Allman/Skynrd influenced guitar gives them a much more rock-ish sound than the flecktones. And, with all due respect to Victor Wooten, TTB bassist Marco Accittatas is much more reserved, sinking deep into the groove and making everyone else sound better, rather than slapping and tapping 32nd and 64th notes just because he can. (although he does take a few mean solos!) Overall, this album does a great job of showing that the banjo is not just for "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" anymore."