VTT2

Talk about a power trio! Emphasizing the ROCK half of jazz-rock fusion, Vital Tech Tones brings together three monster players of the genre, blends their creative juices and virtuosic abilities, and creates a truly vital sound that reinvigorates and re-establishes fusion as a viable part of the musical landscape. Most of the songs on this recording started with drummer Steve Smith giving his rhythmic ideas to bassist-extraordinaire Victor Wooten, who developed a groove over which guitarist Scott Henderson worked melodies and harmonies. Such a simple, straight-forward, jam-oriented process is risky, but these three have the goods to pull it off, in the process creating a fresh electric music unique for its time.

Although VTT has been a studio-only side project for these three, they interact here as though they've been on the road together for several years. It's loud, it's raw, and it's awesome — just what aging baby boomers need to cure their smooth jazz blues, just what generation X-ers need to take them away from the tedious sameness of the alt-rock world. — Jim Newsom.