by Glenn Astarita
Guitarist David "Fuze" Fiuczynski served up jazz/rock and fusion-based renditions of Pat Metheny's "Bright Size Life," Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone From the Sun," and Chopin's Prelude Opus 28 no. 4 on his curiously interesting and altogether impacting 1999 release titled Jazz Punk. Now in 2001, the artist cranks out a set consisting of blazingly executed original compositions, augmented by a powerhouse band. Fiuczynski's now trademark style of execution comes to fruition in gleaming splendor with this enthusiastic melding of electrified interplay with rock-solid and often steamy rhythmic developments amid tricky time signatures and propulsive undercurrents. However, percussionist Daniel Sadownick supplements the overall proceeding via his shrewd employment of worldbeat and loosely structured accents while drummer Gene Lake and bassist Fima Ephron prove to be near perfect foils for the guitarist's emphatic lines, rippling harmonics, and enticingly unorthodox phraseology. And while the Headless Torsos are not for the faint of heart, this recording dutifully highlights David Fiuczynski's distinct artistry.