Soulfish
The New York quintet Lost Tribe is typical of a new generation of fusion bands which have added hip-hop and funk-metal influences to the usual blend of jazz and rock. These younger musicians have failed, however, to solve the central problem of the fusion field--the tendency to emphasize technical virtuosity over heartfelt composition to the point where the music becomes a bloodless exercise. Lost Tribe's second release,Soulfish, is a case in point, for the five members (who have worked with the likes of Ronald Shannon Jackson, George Russell, Steve Coleman, and Rickie Lee Jones) are superb players one and all but seem incapable of writing a memorable composition. Adam Rogers in particular is notable for his ability to combine a Hendrixian guitar roar with post-bop solos, but his compositions "Whodunit" and "Steel Orchards" are shapeless vamps for jamming rather than real songs. Alto saxophonist David Binney has written two slower, moodier pieces, "Room of Life" and "La Fontaine," but they come uncomfortably close to the aural-wallpaper sound of new age. The rap production team, Rise Robots Rise, helped Lost Tribe create the hip-hop-flavored "Walkabout" and "Daze of Ol'," but the results merely point out the inadequacies of bassist Fima Ephron and drummer Ben Perowsky as vocalists and lyricists.--Geoffrey Himes