Jazz Improv Review

Canadian jazz guitarist Ryan Drolet's Trippin' Wet is an excellent testimony to the fusion legacy and further proof that there is plenty of fine music being played in the north country. Drolet has dexterous fingers that can produce "Joe Pass meets Larry Coryell" runs one moment and jagged sound-effects the next. His chord playing is also quite distinctive and serves, along with the rolling bass of Brad Ferguson, to augment and propel the quasi-funk underpinnings of this fine band.

Drolet also proves to be quite the composer over eight tunes. Not afraid to slow things down from time to time such as on "Stratosfear", much of Drolet's music seems frenetic because of the tension that is developed over its insistent foundation. Drolet has produced fusion landscapes with scenic roads leading to quite disparate territories. Some of these roads are high-speed freeways. Other routes are slow-winding mountain drives.

In addition to Ferguson, Drolet is backed by the persistent sticks of drummer Tim Proznick and the comping of keyboardist Dan Graham. Proznick plays as if he is right out of the jam band movement. One could easily hear him sitting in for Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin and Wood. Graham is a chord-heavy player who executes choppy and somewhat subversive runs when soloing. Of course, his playing easily defies my description on "November" as he produces a more traditional jazz sound on electric piano. Both players are shown to great advantage on "Rubber Band" which is also a showcase for some of Drolet's sharpest attacks.

"Spy Song", which opens the CD, sounds as if The Edge (of U2 fame) played the intro. It is spacey, but soon turns into an edifying funky jazz-rock excursion. Drolet makes extended use of guitar sound effects on this cut, scraping his strings in the upper registers to produce other-worldly echoes. "Amian" recalls both Coltrane's mantra from "A Love Supreme" and the wonderful "Saturn Return" from the great group Elements' Illumination album. "A Minor Jam" is also reminiscent of the Elements sound and provides a perfect landing field for Drolet's band to buzz over.

One of the greatest joys of music is the moment of discovery. This applies equally to the listener as it does the player. Drolet now has this reviewer's attention. I am looking forward to what else is up his sleeve. Trippin' Wet is a fully realized effort from Drolet and his cohorts and should serve as a positive example for those who want to know what modern fusion music can sound like put in the right hands.

By Walter Kolosky