Occultus Tramaitis, the second solo release from progressive jazz-fusion bassist/composer Anotine Fafard, is a genuinely impressive album—and sometimes, that’s enough.
The deciding factor for me on whether or not to review an album by an artist I’m unfamiliar with is often this: does the music provoke some kind of emotional response. It doesn’t matter so much what that response is, as long as the music provokes something.
What this album provokes in me is a weird combination of respect and frustration.
Respect, because this all-instrumental album is full of superb musicianship, clever arrangements, mind-blowing time signature shifts, and virtuoso jams. Frustration, because, in spite of the tremendous talent in evidence on this album, it fails a basic test: it doesn’t move me. It feels flat and cold and technically impressive, but also impressively technical. It reminds me that while I have a great capacity to admire world-class musicianship, what really captures me as a listener is emotion, whether manifested via groove, melody, lyrical insight or some other vehicle. I want music to make me feel something—or at least, something beyond “wow.”
The “wow” part comes easily here. There are some tremendous performances on tracks like the opening “Peace For 4,” featuring drummer Gavin Harrison from Porcupine Tree, and “Funkevil,” featuring Fafard’s former bandmate Martin Mehoux behind the kit. Violinist Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra) adds his otherworldly textures to both tracks, as well as three others, with Fafard handling bass and guitars (classical on the former track, rather Steve Vai-esque electric on the latter).
Fafard, who writes all of these cuts, is complemented by a shifting group of supporting musicians that also includes drummers Terry Bozzio (Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa), Simon Phillips (Jeff Beck, Toto), Chad Wackerman (Allan Holdsworth, Frank Zappa) and Dave Weckl (Chick Corea, Mike Stern). This mix-and-match lineup gives each track a slightly different flavor, with Fafard himself being the common element.
While there are shifts in tone and approach, the principal style here is fusion with a hint of prog. “The Chamber,” featuring Weckl and guitarist Scott Henderson, has a muscular pulse and a strong fusion vibe. “Good Reasons” and “Sum Of Six” enhance this flavor with tasty sax work from Jean-Pierre Zanella.
Fafard’s instinct on track after track is to go for it, to push the boundaries, and then when he falls back for a moment, to immediately search out a new avenue for pushing those boundaries yet again. He can also be a bit self-indulgent, as on “Tree O,” a bass showcase featuring Fafard and two of his former bass teachers trading solos, and on the closing number, a clever arrangement of Bach’s “Prelude No. 2 in C Minor” for the solo bass guitar. The latter reminds me of Yes bass player Chris Squire’s solo take on “Amazing Grace,” in the sense that hearing it once is cool, but hearing it a second time feels unnecessary.
Fafard is a musician’s musician and on a purely technical level, this album is superb, featuring world-class players playing complex tunes at a very high level of skill. I just wish I heard a little more passion happening between the notes and inside the grooves. It’s possible the rather clinical feel of some of this music might have to do with the fact that the players were recorded separately for the most part; in fact, some of these tunes were actually recycled from earlier recording sessions, with selected elements re-recorded for release on this album. As it is I’m left with deep admiration, but nothing close to love, for this music.