Henry Kaiser’s unquenchable thirst for experimentation has led him into regularly making records that yield music never quite made like that before (recent case in point: 2018’s Mudang Rock). Part of the secret to Kaiser’s success in this realm lies with the master guitarist finding partners who likewise thrive on the edge, and his latest, five-man project Five Times Surprise (Cuneiform Records) sprung from a common inspiration drawn from the ground-breaking music of John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra.
All paragon veterans of the jazz-rock form — drummer Jeff Sipe, violinist Trace Silverman, bassist Andy West, Henry Kaiser and another guitarist, Anthony Pirog — Five Times Surprise didn’t quite replicate the Mahavishnu format; there’s two guitarists instead of one and no keyboardist. But Kaiser & Pirog are also effects whizzes and more than made up for not having a Jan Hammer around, and Pirog is a rather fearlessly unique guitarist himself.
All but one of these songs are long form compositions created by the entire group, suggesting that these songs are the products of jams and that’s just how it sounds. But this isn’t the endlessly directionless noodly kind of jamming, there’s extended composition and tightly bound unison runs going on along with root changes and tempo variations that shoo away that plodding feeling.
“Haboob” conjures up the Dixie Dregs but not so much for Dregs co-founder West’s presence as Silverman’s fiddle injecting just a touch of twang into the proceedings. To be perfectly clear,, though, this is far looser than what you’ll hear on a typical Dregs record. At the slightest cue it launches to full gallop and downright intemperate, topped off by devastating guitar solos by Henry Kaiser and Pirog that unleash the gates of hell like I hadn’t heard since the 70s. If you like your fusion to shred, you’ve come to the right place.
“Slicer” starts with a slinky syncopated figure that is nowadays programmed with a synth but created by guitar here, and the skeletal groove is layered on by unhinged outpourings by guitars and violin, ending with barely-controlled feedback drones.
If it wasn’t apparent enough to this point that Mahavishnu Orchestra served as a template for Five Times Surprise, then their cover of “You Know You Know” should be the dead giveaway. It’s even an accurate portrayal of the Inner Mounting Flame original, although the second guitar adds thickness (and an additional solo) to John McLaughlin’s repeating riff classic.
“Earthshine” descends into the simmering inferno of doom metal; the whining and screaming of the stringed lead instruments deluge the sonic space until it unexpectedly gives way to acoustic meanderings. The sub-two minute groove of “My Brothers How’s” is paced by West’s taut bass line, an idea deserving of more time.
“24 Liars” is a reverse momentum song, starting off with overwhelming power and then reducing down to West’s circular bass figure. A screaming guitar signals a partial return to the heavy-assed free form rock that started the whole thing. “A Realm of Paradise” turns inward, setting a pretty, chiming mostly acoustic group improv moment, a perfect opening for Silverman’s appealing looped lines.
Straight jazz takes a front seat on “Why Starfish Why,” the Sipe/West rhythm section forming a shifting swing unit as the front line combatants ignore conventional ways of expression, while “Torch Shadows” settles into a slow, faux reggae groove, drawing generously from Jeff Beck but with a darker melody.
“Maneki Neko” reveals the never-quit relentless drumming of Sipe, who is constantly listening, reacting and leading. When he manages to stay in one spot long enough, Kaiser (or Pirog?) uncorks a wicked guitar screed followed by Silverman’s slower paced but guitar-like attack, fuzz and all.
“Twilight Of The Space Gods” is the bonus track included as a separate CD that you get when purchasing the album straight from Cuneiform, or in digital form. Going on for a full forty minutes, it’s a long form jam that’s not far removed from the ones Sipe would do regularly on stage with bassist Jonas Hellborg and the late guitar shaman Shawn Lane.
Anyone familiar with Henry Kaiser, West, Sipe, Silverman and Pirog knows that their musicianship is bounded only by the material presented to them. Borrowing from principles established by the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, they developed music with no constrictions on their abilities at all, and the results are astonishing. Five Times Surprise is indeed full of surprises, and in their own way they keep that inner mounting flame burning bright.
Feature photo courtesy of Cunieform Records
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