Search - Tunnels :: Progressivity

The best fusion CD in quite some time

The Night Owl | St. Louis, MO | 06/19/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When you open the booklet for the new Tunnels CD, the first thing you see is the following:"Warning: This recording contains tonal nastiness, dissonance, harmonic and rhythmic abstraction, distortion, an abundance of intense blowing and other forms of sonic weirdness that may cause harmful side effects such as hives, palpitations, fibrillations, aneurisms, facial swelling, wheezing and may lead to serious brain damage. Do not play while operating heavy machinery or while under the influence of smooth jazz."Having said that, Progressivity is probably the best fusion release since Niacin's High Bias disc a few years ago. With its shades of the Dixie Dregs, late-era Frank Zappa and mid-70's Jean-Luc Ponty, this is not a disc for the musically timid. The intricate rhythmic structures make for a challenging listen, but hey--that's what you want in a fusion album, right? The group's core trio--which includes former Brand X bassist, Percy Jones, Marc Wagnon on MIDI vibes, and Frank Katz on the drum kit--is joined by John Goodsall on guitar (also from Brand X) Marc Feldman on violin and, on two tracks, Wagnon's wife, Sarah Pillow on `prepared voice.'From the trippy, brooding sounds of "Syzygy Incident," to John Goodsall's shredding lead guitar work on "Fusionauts," to more accessible cuts like the title track or "Some Things Must Last," there's a wide spectrum of musical styles lurking on Progressivity. As a rhythm section, Jones and Katz are a real powerhouse when they need to be. Yet when things quiet down, they bring a sense of calm and beauty to the music as well. Best of all, the band clearly shows they're not afraid to sacrifice commercial success for the sake of artistic integrity (be sure to check out the 20-minute epic, "7,584,333,440 Miles Away"). That's always a good thing."

Exp.fusion at its best,sometimes F.Zappa and DixieDrags like

Lethe | Milan, Italy | 03/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It seems there's a great array, regarding the whole range of fusion styles, within their improvisational stuff!! That is, it's so difficult to label them within a specific fusion prog genre, because the band is able to change radically route during the executions of the songs, thanks to such a valuable bass player like Percy Jones, Marc Wagnon on midi vibes and drummer Frank Katz...besides the guest star John Goodsall (along with Percy Jones in the band Brand X, a piece of history into the fusion world!!)and violinist Mark Feldman, have got as much talent as this CD requires... moreover on tracks such as "Wall to Wall Sunshine," the band lets Feldman and Goodsall lead the music session,through their talent, while Percy Jones really makes a great job on the track "Frank's Beard ...instead the song "7,584,333,4440 Miles Away" is very long,as it's a 17 minutes track,where you can note all their influences, from Dixie Drags to Frank Zappa !!Of course this album requires repetitive listenings, but naturally it's worth checking out !!"

Brandx vs tunnels

fusion fan | 09/09/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say that I' m a huge fan of Brandx.I' ve been for many years now.So I was curious about the Tunnels band,evidently,because of Percy Jones,of course,and also because of John Goodsall's presence on few songs.

So obviously,I preferred the 3 songs on which J.Goodsall is playing.It really sounds like Brandx also.And the other songs sound like Tunnels.

Percy still plays his fretless bass like a genious.Frank Katz at its best with is unique style,playing these syncopated beats with such confidence.And Marc Wagnon's strange sounds that you really can appreciate if you listen to the album witn headphones.

If you like Tunnels,you will like this album,and if you like Brandx,you will appreciate a few songs probably.

As for myself,I like it after I heard it a couple of times.

But still,I remain a strong Brandx fan and I couldn' t switch to Tunnels yet...Still waiting for the next Brandx album..."