Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin, Dennis Chambers - 2012 "HBC"

Not simply a super-group, but more like a jazz-fusion superpower as this formidable trio melds classic fusion works amid a few originals on its debut release, although the artists have crossed paths over the years. Bios and resumes would transcend the limitations of a review or analysis. So, it's the in-your-face attitude, creative impetus, and the respective musicians' gargantuan chops that account for a passionate exposition.

Guitarist Scott Henderson's enviable technique as a monumental blues-rock soloist shines on his "Wayward Son of Devil Boy," inflicting pain on his axe via some serious shedding and molding a blues-with-a-vengeance stance with blazing fills, detuned extended notes and wailing choruses. But the preponderance of the album offers an abundance of cunning insights and spins on pieces such as drummer Billy Cobham's jazz-fusion anthem "Stratus." Then again it would be a sacrilege to ignore this trend-setting classic. Here, all-universe session drummer Dennis Chambers slams the backbeat into overdrive in concert with bass great Jeff Berlin's sinuous fretless bass lines. Owing to the original recording, Henderson abides by late guitarist Tommy Bolin's tension and release buildup, and then goes off the radar with stratospheric licks, leading to the heavy metal-like finale.

Henderson morphs polytonal chord voicings to execute a translation of pianist Herbie Hancock's funkified "Actual Proof," where Berlin unleashes a mindboggling solo, awash with twirling notes and breakneck linear runs. Henderson injects some spacey electronic treatments and spatial attributes into saxophonist Wayne Shorter's title track from Weather Report's Mysterious Traveler (Columbia, 1974), raising the bar with edgy and distorted crunch chords while reshaping and reconfiguring the primary theme, tinted with a rather ominous rite of passage.

HBC also integrates a pure jazz element into Shorter's "Sightseeing," offset by the artists' expressive solo spots and streaming background effects, all the while prepping for the kill towards the coda as Berlin thumps and plucks his bass strings into submission. Sure, he's all over the place, but lessons learned will dictate that he makes every note count, marked by his lyrical thematic statements and a technique to die for.

Other than the instrumentalists' technical mastery, these works' construction lend to a refreshing glimpse of the proverbial roads previously traveled. From a holistic perspective of the jazz-fusion genre, it doesn't get a whole lot better.

As power trios go, it doesn’t get much more powerful than guitarist Scott Henderson, bassist Jeff Berlin and drummer Dennis Chambers. Like an update of the McLaughlin/Pastorius/Williams “Trio of Doom,” HBC succeeds by putting musicality above its overwhelming technical skills-only far better than that hit-and-miss collective did.

On HBC, this trio opts for mostly modern standards by the fusion era’s elite composers. Berlin’s serpentine bassline and Henderson’s keyboard mimicry highlight Herbie Hancock’s opening “Actual Proof.” Wayne Shorter gets his due as well: Henderson’s spacey intro and Chambers’ combustible drumming highlight “Mysterious Traveler,” and the guitarist’s underrated straightahead jazz chops shine through on “Footprints” and “Sightseeing.” Another Weather Report composition-the funky, stop-and-start “D Flat Waltz” by Henderson’s onetime employer Joe Zawinul-proves the 12-minute highlight among this honorary sequence.

Other highlights: Chambers blends funk and fury on Billy Cobham’s closing “Stratus,” a homecoming of sorts for Henderson, who wowed club crowds with it in his native Florida during the ’70s. And Berlin’s solo reading of his “Threedom” provides the disc’s best original moments.

HBC is the new fusion supergroup comprised of three virtuoso musicians: Scott Henderson Jeff Berlin and Dennis Chambers who join together to create one of the most phenomenal trios in the history of jazz fusion. Rather than jumping into the studio as virtual strangers and winging it like some superstar alliances HBC hit the road first and refined a repertoire of classic fusion covers in front of thousands of hungry fusion fans. After assembling an impressive collection of road-tested masterpieces, the group, composed of all leaders, decided that it was finally time to combine their talents to make this musical statement.

Henderson is one of the most well-known contemporary guitarists in the jazz fusion genre and he has mesmerized guitar fans around the globe with his masterful phrases and unique style. Guitar fans have enjoyed hearing Scott work with Jean-luc Ponty, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, and power fusion trio "Henderson, Smith, and Wooten" with Steve Smith and Victor Wooten. In addition Scott has churned out an incredible body of work stemming from his other career as founding member of Tribal Tech and also a solo artist, both of which he has toured extensively to support.

Bassist Jeff Berlin is a celebrated solo artist with numerous fusion recordings under his name and affiliations with artists such as Al Di Meola, Bill Bruford, Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin, and Billy Cobham. Berlin is widely regarded as one of the greatest bassists in the world and is equally adept at playing hard-core no holds-barred jazz-fusion and straight ahead traditional jazz. As a bassist Berlin's tone phrasing, and keen sense of melody are a winning combination that has helped him reach the top of magazine reader's polls for years.

A formidable, ferocious, and ultra-funky presence behind the kit in such celebrated ensembles as Parlament-Funkadelic, Steely Dan, Santana, and The Brecker Brothers as well as incendiary fusion outfits led by guitarist John Scofield, Steve Kahn, Mike Stern, and John McLaughlin, Dennis Chambers is a miracle in modern music. A remarkably versatile drummer who has shown limitless ability to swing on a small kit in traditional jazz settings or flaunt his stylistic chops in fusion supersessions, Dennis Chambers is one of the most recorded drummers in the world of jazz fusion.

Track listing:

01. Actual Proof
02. Mysterious Traveller
03. Footprints
05. D Flat Waltz
06. The Orphan
07. Sightseeing
08. Wayward Son Of Devil Boy
09. Threedom
10. Stratus

Personnel:

Scott Henderson: guitar;
Jeff Berlin: bass;
Dennis Chambers: drums.