TUNNELS

Fretless bass master of Brand X fame Percy Jones returns with another fusion group; Offering a very unique brand of jazz fusion with Frank Katz, of the second Brand X carnation, Van Manakas who providing the very little guitar on the album, and Marc Wagnon on the Mellokat, a Midi Vibe instrument.

Marc Wagnon provides most of the material on the disk and is undoubtedly the most important to achieving the bands overall sound. His quirky electronic effects will dazzle you as Jones and Katz hold it down with the tightest rhythm section one could imagine. I was first introduced to the band when I saw them as a three piece without Manakas open for Porcupine Tree. They completely blew me away, especially Percy Jones upon who my eyes were fixated the entire show as his hand gracefully danced up and down the bass. They really stand apart from other Fusion bands, and the wide variety of sounds and atmosphere that they can explore is really amazing for a primarily three piece band. This is no doubt due to Wagnon's rather unusual instrument and it's sound effects.

The entire album carries a great feel of spontaneity and never feels contrived or calculated. The band contains a certain spastic energy that leaps out at the listener and really gives this band a unique voice in the Fusion genre. Sometimes though the band gets lost in it's jamming and loses the listener too.

Labeling TUNNELS as a BRAND X almost side-project would'nt be too far from reality.They were formed by Swiss musician Marc Wagnon,a former graduate of Berkley College of Music,who had already released a solo album in 1988 (called ''Shadowlines'').He was helped by BRAND X founding and long-time member bassist Percy Jones along with Van Manakas on guitars and Frank Katz on drums,also a member of BRAND X.This quartet recorded their first album ''Tunnels with Percy Jones'' in 1994 on a small label,later re-issued by Wagnon's Buckyball Label (which is what we offer here).

About the album,this is almost 100% fusion/jazz/progressive rock filled with strange sounds such as vibraphones,fretless bass played by Jones and a midi-vibes player,which support the role of keyboards handled by Wagnon himself.Musically the compositions run through fast and furious rhythms paused by sudden breaks and sometimes long midi-vibes passages.The guitars are quite jazzy with good soloing,the drum work is very complex and there are also a couple of interesting melodies in here,but the overall result is a bit uneven,as some parts of it sound too modern or ''digitalized'' and there are even a few unnecessary quiet moments with ambient-like atmospheres.So if you're after some BRAND X-like fusion with a touch of modern technologies and players,this album should easily appeal to your tastes.Personally I don't expect to hear an album filled with fillers and boring solos by such a talented company of musicians...2 stars for me...

Despite the band being led by electric vibes player Marc Wagnon, Tunnels seems to be dominated by Brand X alumni Percy Jones, who plays bass, of course, and drummer Frank Katz. The music, primarily because of Jones' unique, and impossible to imitate bass lines, sounds very close to classic Brand X. This isn't to say that Wagnon is a slouch on his MIDI-vibes, just that the agressive, high energy fusion is so close to that of the aforementioned fusion giants that a casual listener might mistake them.

Wagnon uses his MIDI-vibes to control synth patches, so although he often uses traditional tuned percussion sounds, many songs sound like they have traditional keyboards. And while Van Manakis is no John Goodsall on guitar, he certainly has the chops to keep up with a giant like Jones.