Illicit Tribal Tech

By the time Illicit was released in 1992, Scott Henderson & Tribal Tech had been established as one of the premier, if not the premier, experimental fusion outfits on the globe. That's "fusion" as in the fusion of jazz and rock, not the vanilla instrumental musings of artists like Kenny G, which are occasionally mislabled as such. Henderson's dramatic and powerful soloing and his incredibly refined chord work were the greatest causes for the early attention the group received, and Illicit only furthered the guitarist's reputation with its fire and musical vigor.

The virtuoso jazz fusion unit Tribal Tech were formed in 1984 by guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Gary Willis, debuting a year later with Spears. Over the course of subsequent efforts including 1987's Dr. Hee, 1990's Nomad, and 1992's Illicit, both Henderson and Willis emerged among the most acclaimed instrumentalists in contemporary jazz, with each frequently topping music magazine best-of lists; in the wake of 1995's Reality Check, Tribal Tech went on hiatus to allow the members the opportunity to pursue solo projects, finally reuniting four years later for Thick.

By the time Illicit was released in 1992, Scott Henderson & Tribal Tech had been established as one of the premier, if not the premier, experimental fusion outfits on the globe. That's "fusion" as in the fusion of jazz and rock, not the vanilla instrumental musings of artists like Kenny G, which are occasionally mislabled as such. Henderson's dramatic and powerful soloing and his incredibly refined chord work were the greatest causes for the early attention the group received, and Illicit only furthered the guitarist's reputation with its fire and musical vigor.

Although it was their sixth album overall, Tribal Tech's 1993 release, Face First, was only the second to feature the still-existing lineup of guitarist Scott Henderson, bassist Gary Willis, keyboardist Scott Kinsey, and drummer Kirk Covington. Previously, Henderson and Willis had juggled lineups and eased further away from traditional jazz toward improvisational fusion through the 1985-1991 albums Spears, Dr. Hee, Nomad, and Tribal Tech. But the quartet of musical leftists gelled on Face First, improving on its promising 1992 debut, Illicit.

There is plenty to like about this 1994 release of Tribal Tech material culled from the group's earlier offerings – Tribal Tech, Nomad, and Dr. Hee – specifically, the complex yet beautiful harmonic balance and dedicated interplay between Henderson's guitar and the rest of Tribal Tech (bassist and co-bandleader Gary Willis; drummers/percussionists Brad Dutz, Joey Heredia, and Steve Houghton; keyboardists David Goldblatt and Pat Coil; and saxophonist Bob Sheppard). In a genre of music that is completely ignored by the radio, the great thing about a hits collection like this is that the finest material (not necessarily the most commercial) is what makes the grade (and the track list).

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.