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The Waz - 4 x 3 EP
(WAZ Records)
Drummer David "The Waz" Wasik defines his musical vision for the group that bears his name like this: "ethnofusion, funk, soul, and acid jazz." He forgot to mention Latin and rock. 4 x 3 EP, the group's newest release, contains a little bit of everything in its quest to unite the worlds of jazz and jam band music.
4 x 3 begins in fine acid jazz form with "Booty," a song that rides on an Edgar Henderson bass line and bursts with energy. "T-Lo" comes next, showing off a tightly hewn unit—keys grinding, bass bumping, drums slinging triplets like a Waffle House waitress dishing out hash browns (smothered and covered, of course). Although "T-Lo" is a bit cheesy ("This song is dedicated to all the fine Scorpios"), the Waz knows how to swing and saxophonist/keyboardist Eric Crittenden is not a bad singer at all. The trio's Latin streak comes out of the closet in "So Su Di," a freight train of a song that features Wasik's most versatile and impressive percussion work; the track bounces from a supremely polyrhythmic semi-salsa assault to a brief excursion into the deepest realms of bebop jazz and then quickly into a straight jam that lasts all of four measures. The EP's most interesting cut, however, is "Le Crunge," an organ-funk take on Led Zeppelin's "The Crunge" (Houses Of The Holy). Wasik's stutter-step drumming, Crittenden's aggressive keyboard chops, and the all-out fusion break compensate adequately for those Zep fans who miss Robert Plant's croaked "Has anybody seen the bridge?"
As a matter of fact, I've seen the bridge—the bridge between jazz and rock, that is. This is not to say that the connection hasn't been made before (Miles Davis ring a bell?), but David Wasik and the Waz have entertainingly erected another means of travel, albeit a short one, between these two oft-connected worlds with 4 x 3 EP. Although the group has two CDs out under its name (1999's Melodic-Hypnotic and 2000's Organigalactic), both striving toward the same amalgamated final product, this release marks a considerable step up for this eclectic outfit, at least in terms of sound quality and clarity of vision. Be prepared when the Waz drops its next full-length: on the road to reaching their ultimate musical quest, the fellas may even offer up a cover of Britney or Christina. You just never know.
by Paul Rosner
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