THE TREY GUNN BAND - THE JOY OF MOLYBDENUM

Trey Gunn is probably best known to members of this site as a member of King Crimson for 10 years (from Thrak to The Power To Believe), and fans of his work with KC and associated projeKcts will find much to enjoy on this album. As Danbo mentioned, Tony Geballe is an alumnus of Fripp's guitar craft courses and can be heard on the League of Crafty Guitarist's Show of Hands, so there's a strong Fripp/Crimso influence pervading much of this CD.

If the sound is often familiar, the style is often surprisingly different. This is in part down to Bob Muller's extensive use of ethnic percussion instruments, in particular the Bendir and Darbouka, which are used extensively in North African and Middle Eastern music. This takes Gunn and Geballe into exotic rhythmic territory, and they in turn sometimes explore Middle Eastern modes and scales on their instruments. The whole thing gives the impression of a King Crimson ProjeKct recorded in a souk somewhere in Morocco or Tunisia - gentle washes of Frippertronic sound underpin frenetic dervish percussion, or interlocking Discipline style guitars play musical patterns that would more normally be associated with the oud. Geballe's occasional use of saz and acoustic guitar adds to the general feel of a successful cross cultural fusion, while there are also passages using drum kit and electric guitar to remind us that these guys are rock musicians at the top of their game. Last but not least, this album showcases the remarkable potential of the WARR guitar in the hands of a truly accomplished player - the range of the instrument means that Gunn is able to play bass and lead lines simultaneously and trade dizzying licks with Geballe - the end of Gate of Dreams gives the Fripp/Belew partnership a run for their money.

This is an excellent album of adventurous instrumental music which mostly avoids pointless noodling and self indulgence. Highly recommended to lovers of the adventurous and exotic.