Suhy, Silvergold & Alvarado - Tessellations

The trio of Suhy, Silvergold & Alvarado should satisfy your jazz-rock jones quite nicely.New Jersey based jazz rock power trio Suhy, Silvergold & Alvarado have released an amazing album of eclectic tunes that speak to my instrumentalist heart. Yes, this is ostensibly a metal site, but interestingly guitarist Ray Suhy has been playing rock and metal for years, including playing with East Of The Wall (I've mentioned before how this band seems to be some sort of musical nexus, with the various members of having seeded other bands I've raved about on this site) for a few. The man has chops. His playing is deft and confident, belying the years spent studying the finesse and creativity of masters like Coltrane. He can comp like a champ - Special Cadence is a wonderful seven minute jazz excursion that had me practically smelling the smoke-filled club it evokes - then turn around and rip like a demon - Temporal Landrons recalls the melodic shred of Shawn Lane without letting homage veer into soulless mimicry.

Rolando Alvarado's bass work is masterful, be it the satisfying timbre of plucking the double bass through jazzy tunes like Special Cadence, or the nimble rhythymic understructure he weaves like a spider on tracks like Malachite Dream. The East of the Wall connection here is his avant-metal trio El Drugstore, which featured guitarist Kevin Conway and drummer Seth Rheam, both of the former.

Which brings us to the most amazing member of all, drummer Alex Silvergold, who after only playing drums for the last 7 years is merely [a jaw-dropping] 16 years old. Be it his youth, his extraordinary dedication - or both, his high-energy playing is most impressive. I don't doubt many will be monitoring his career which probably won't even begin slowing down 'til maybe around 2065 (Crimeny!).

The Bottom Line: This New Jersey-based jazz-rock trio is jam-packed with talent and promise. The creative force of its virtuosi is evident on a debut many would hope to achieve just once in their entire careers. This is the real deal, folks.

- Genghis can't stop watching these guys jam on YouTube...