Tribal Tech - 1993 "Face First"

Face First is the sixth album by jazz fusion band Tribal Tech. It was released in 1993. The album is more improvisational than the band's previous works, and features elements of funk, bop and blues. "Boat Gig" is the only track on the album that contains singing, with vocals by drummer Kirk Covington.

Guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Gary Willis, known as Tribal Tech (the renegade rock/jazz/fusion warriors) are back with the release of their 1993 album, entitled "Face First". Equally adapt at recalling Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix, the band successfully bridges the gap between jazz and rock, blending elements of entities such as Weather Report, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Frank Zappa and Return To Forever, while simultaneously expanding the dimensions of jazz. Scott Henderson (also known for his work with the Chick Corea Elektric Band and The Zawinul Syndicate) is generally admired as one of the most exciting fusion guitarists in the world today. Gary Willis first made a name for himself in the bands of Wayne Shorter and Allan Holdsworth. Incredibly tasteful phrasing and standout guitar playing dominate "Face First", and interestingly, in a somewhat bizarre move, the band dedicated the song "Boat Gig" to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King.

Although it was their sixth album overall, Tribal Tech's 1993 release, Face First, was only the second to feature the still-existing lineup of guitarist Scott Henderson, bassist Gary Willis, keyboardist Scott Kinsey, and drummer Kirk Covington. Previously, Henderson and Willis had juggled lineups and eased further away from traditional jazz toward improvisational fusion through the 1985-1991 albums Spears, Dr. Hee, Nomad, and Tribal Tech. But the quartet of musical leftists gelled on Face First, improving on its promising 1992 debut, Illicit. Henderson's solo on the opening title track -- over a percolating Willis bassline -- shows the guitarist's range of influences from Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix to Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Funk pieces like "Canine" and "Uh...Yeah OK" show glimpses of the group's future, all-improvised CDs; hummingbird-quick drummer Covington's lead vocal on the cover-band farce "Boat Gig" set the stage for Henderson"'s solo blues debut the next year. In between, synth-master Kinsey's jazzy "After Hours" and Henderson's New Orleans-tinged "Revenge Stew" provide thought-provoking rest areas -- necessary because of breathtaking ten-minute thrill rides like the blues, bop, and beyond of "Salt Lick." Willis' Weather Report-like "The Precipice" and "Wounded" ease you to the finish of Face First, the album that made a statement that Henderson, Willis, and company have not yet begun to finish.

Track listing:

01.    "Face First"    7:04
02.    "Canine"    6:24
03.    "After Hours"    7:23
04.    "Revenge Stew"    6:07
05.    "Salt Lick"    9:45
06.    "Uh... Yeah OK"    6:44
07.    "The Crawling Horror"    7:44
08.    "Boiler Room"    1:35
09.    "Boat Gig"    6:00
10.    "The Precipice"    6:17
11.    "Wounded"    5:39

Personnel:

    Scott Henderson – guitar
    Gary Willis – fretless bass
    Scott Kinsey – keyboards
    Kirk Covington – drums, vocals