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Track Listings
| 1. Panna |
| 2. Bollywood Jam |
| 3. Song Of The Open Road |
| 4. Veritas |
| 5. 99/09 |
| 6. Path Of Least Resistance |
| 7. Alone In Brooklyn |
| 8. The River Lethe |
| 9. Flection |
| 10. Fade To Black |
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Amazon.com:
4 reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
A vision matured
30 Mar 2011
Format:Audio CD
Alex Skolnick has been creating music for over 20 years. His credits include performing with such diverse acts as Bay Area thrash pioneers Testament as well as Savatage, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. With all that rock and metal cred, the project that is dearest to his heart is the modern bebop jazz trio that bears his name. Since the release of their debut album, Goodbye to Romance, Alex has forged ahead with a unique and modern vision of improvisational jazz. Their newest release, Veritas, clearly shows their most mature and sophisticated effort to date.
The Alex Skolnick trio first gained notoriety by reinterpreting modern rock and heavy metal songs as a modern take on be-bop. With each succeeding release original songs gradually replaced these covers, with Veritas containing but one cover, Metallica's Fade to Black. It is with these inventive compositions where Alex and his band mates, Matt Zebroski on drums and Nathan Peck on upright and electric bass, stretch their wings and challenge the listeners notion of modern jazz.
On Veritas, the Alex Skolnick Trio takes the listener on a musical journey that demonstrates just how diverse the musical universe can be. The opening tracks, Panna and Bollywood Jam, are an amazing point/counterpoint of musical influence from India, where a traditional take on Ravi Shankar is followed by a driving and upbeat melody heavily influenced by the work of A.R. Rahman. This combination grabs you from the outset and lets you know that this disc will take you on a musical journey that you might not have been expecting.
Each song on the disc is fresh and inviting. Song of the Open Road, Flection and The River Lethe demonstrate great improvisational jazz grounded by Nathan Peck's upright bass lines while 99/09 features a tasty funk feel on top of Matt Zebroski's dazzling percussion. Alex takes it down a notch with the ethereal and introspective song, Alone in Brooklyn, to which he plays homage to A.I.R.'s Alone in Kyoto from the Lost in Translation soundtrack. From top to bottom this album makes jazz accessible to a new audience
While Alex enjoys a reputation as a Joe Satriani disciple, don't expect a shred-fest. With the Alex Skolnick Trio, and especially on this disc, you will find one of the freshest sounds around. Jazz is no longer out on the fringes, with the recent successes of Rodrigo y Gabriella and Esperanza Splading paving the way, The Alex Skolnick Trio are creating standards for a new generation.
The Alex Skolnick trio first gained notoriety by reinterpreting modern rock and heavy metal songs as a modern take on be-bop. With each succeeding release original songs gradually replaced these covers, with Veritas containing but one cover, Metallica's Fade to Black. It is with these inventive compositions where Alex and his band mates, Matt Zebroski on drums and Nathan Peck on upright and electric bass, stretch their wings and challenge the listeners notion of modern jazz.
On Veritas, the Alex Skolnick Trio takes the listener on a musical journey that demonstrates just how diverse the musical universe can be. The opening tracks, Panna and Bollywood Jam, are an amazing point/counterpoint of musical influence from India, where a traditional take on Ravi Shankar is followed by a driving and upbeat melody heavily influenced by the work of A.R. Rahman. This combination grabs you from the outset and lets you know that this disc will take you on a musical journey that you might not have been expecting.
Each song on the disc is fresh and inviting. Song of the Open Road, Flection and The River Lethe demonstrate great improvisational jazz grounded by Nathan Peck's upright bass lines while 99/09 features a tasty funk feel on top of Matt Zebroski's dazzling percussion. Alex takes it down a notch with the ethereal and introspective song, Alone in Brooklyn, to which he plays homage to A.I.R.'s Alone in Kyoto from the Lost in Translation soundtrack. From top to bottom this album makes jazz accessible to a new audience
While Alex enjoys a reputation as a Joe Satriani disciple, don't expect a shred-fest. With the Alex Skolnick Trio, and especially on this disc, you will find one of the freshest sounds around. Jazz is no longer out on the fringes, with the recent successes of Rodrigo y Gabriella and Esperanza Splading paving the way, The Alex Skolnick Trio are creating standards for a new generation.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
'Truth' in great songs
3 July 2011
Format:Audio CD
One has to give credit to Alex Skolnick. At a time when every single metal guitarist was dying to showcase their shredding talents as the opportunity for a solo album arose, Alex Skolnick took the opposite route. At the height of his popularity, he quit Testament and decided to go to music school to learn more about jazz never releasing a self-indulging solo album. Instead, he formed the Alex Skolnick Trio.
Starting with his first release, Goodbye to Romance, Skolnick set new standards to his playing. The debut album (which is still my favourite) featured jazzified versions of rock and metal classics from Black Sabbath to KISS to The Who to Aerosmith and Scorpions as well as two of his own songs. He managed to make each cover his own rearranging them into a jazz-based form. Though perfectly capable, none of the songs highlighted his dexterous, flashy playing because the 'new' songs didn't need that. This continued with his following two releases, Transformation and Last Day in Paradise.
Veritas (meaning 'truth' in Roman mythology) sees Alex Skolnick's playing and songwriting growing to a darker realm showcasing nine original tracks out of the eleven. The only cover track is Metallica's "Fade to Black," cleverly put at the centre of the album so as to anchor the Indian-inspired tracks with the more jazz-funk combo of the others. The song fits the flow of the album perfectly save for the obvious familiar theme or melody here and there. This is a fantastic rendition of the original piece, featuring a very clean acoustic guitar played on top of trance-inducing percussion and drum work by Matt Zebroski.
This may be the most varied album by the trio. It successfully marries the subtle Indian sounds of "Panna" and the more groovy side of "Bollywood Jam" (a remix of which is also included on this album) into a cohesive whole. "Song of the Open Road" revists the more jazz-driven form of their compositions only with more upbeat melodies while the title track strikes the perfect balance between modern and vintage sounds. Skolnick's sparse, finger-picked notes are placed on top of a solid bass and drum foundation with beautiful cymbal splashes at every turn. "99/09" is full-on funk, complete with deep-in-the-pocket rhythms and snaky jazz licks weaving in and out of the whole thing. That said, all of these pieces are deeply rooted in the classic AST sound, which makes Veritas a winner.
Fans of John Scofield, Pat Metheny, and Wes Montgomery are all advised to check this album out, or Skolnick fans may check these artists out if they haven't already. My love for Pat Metheny's music grew tremendously after acquainting myself with rock-turned-jazz thanks to their first album.
By the way, the production is fantastic. Alex Skolnick must be proud of his work.
Starting with his first release, Goodbye to Romance, Skolnick set new standards to his playing. The debut album (which is still my favourite) featured jazzified versions of rock and metal classics from Black Sabbath to KISS to The Who to Aerosmith and Scorpions as well as two of his own songs. He managed to make each cover his own rearranging them into a jazz-based form. Though perfectly capable, none of the songs highlighted his dexterous, flashy playing because the 'new' songs didn't need that. This continued with his following two releases, Transformation and Last Day in Paradise.
Veritas (meaning 'truth' in Roman mythology) sees Alex Skolnick's playing and songwriting growing to a darker realm showcasing nine original tracks out of the eleven. The only cover track is Metallica's "Fade to Black," cleverly put at the centre of the album so as to anchor the Indian-inspired tracks with the more jazz-funk combo of the others. The song fits the flow of the album perfectly save for the obvious familiar theme or melody here and there. This is a fantastic rendition of the original piece, featuring a very clean acoustic guitar played on top of trance-inducing percussion and drum work by Matt Zebroski.
This may be the most varied album by the trio. It successfully marries the subtle Indian sounds of "Panna" and the more groovy side of "Bollywood Jam" (a remix of which is also included on this album) into a cohesive whole. "Song of the Open Road" revists the more jazz-driven form of their compositions only with more upbeat melodies while the title track strikes the perfect balance between modern and vintage sounds. Skolnick's sparse, finger-picked notes are placed on top of a solid bass and drum foundation with beautiful cymbal splashes at every turn. "99/09" is full-on funk, complete with deep-in-the-pocket rhythms and snaky jazz licks weaving in and out of the whole thing. That said, all of these pieces are deeply rooted in the classic AST sound, which makes Veritas a winner.
Fans of John Scofield, Pat Metheny, and Wes Montgomery are all advised to check this album out, or Skolnick fans may check these artists out if they haven't already. My love for Pat Metheny's music grew tremendously after acquainting myself with rock-turned-jazz thanks to their first album.
By the way, the production is fantastic. Alex Skolnick must be proud of his work.
One of the better guitarists you'll find today
7 April 2012
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Alex Skolnick is a top notch musician, he's been in Testament, Transiberian Orchestra, and his own trio. He's got a degree in music and jazz studies, and it shows in this album. Great listening!!!
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