A traditional jazz trio of drums, string bass and acoustic guitar, the Alex Skolnick Trio puts a different spin on rock music. Taking the hard-core, head-banging riffs of such rock legends as Aerosmith, KISS, Black Sabbath, The Who, Ozzy Osborne and The Scorpions, they spun out swinging harmonies and edgy syncopation. The audience heard some familiar melodies and some unfamiliar ones, including several original jazzy creations by Alex Skolnick himself. Some of the songs performed included KISS's "Detroit Rock City," Aerosmith's "Dream On," The Who's "Pinball Wizard" and Black Sabbath's "Warpigs." Every song you thought you knew was transformed into a little something surprising. The haunting rifts of "Dream On" were accentuated by the mournful twang of the string bass, while one could almost hear Stephen Tyler's voice in the agonizing tones of Skolnick's guitar. And who wouldn't be intrigued by Ozzy Osbourne reworked with rich harmonies and the pulsating grooves of swing, funk and Latin music?
These guys really loved what they were doing. Highlights included a stellar electric guitar solo reminiscent of Joe Perry of Aerosmith. Student guitar gurus were inspired by Skolnick's perfect technique, while less educated musicians felt like they were listening to at least 10 guitars because of his skillful use of loops. Also impressive was the enthusiasm and skill of drummer Matt Zebroski. In the corner, on a drum set much too small for the man behind it, the crash of cymbals blended with bass drum and snare to take jazz music to a whole new level. Lauren Grau '06 couldn't have been more enthusiastic: "It was an interesting twist on jazz. The best part was the drummer. The band should have been called The Whatever-the-Drummer's-Name-is Trio."
When the Trio plays, traditional rock music is transformed into groovy jazz music with bluesy undertones. However, despite the rhythmic intricacies of his music, Alex Skolnick is still a rock guitarist at heart. Every time he plays it seems like he is projected back to his days as a member of 80s metal group Testament. The Alex Skolnick Trio puts on a great show, putting their hearts into every note. Their enthusiasm for rock, metal and jazz music was beautiful and fun. All in all, the musicians' reaction to their work was described as "almost orgasmic" by one member of the audience.
The skillful arrangement of classic rock and metal hits was awe-inspiring. Alex seemed rather disappointed when the underage crowd stared blankly back at him in response to his remarks concerning The Scorpions and his heavy metal origins. But what does he expect? The audience seemed to be mostly freshmen who weren't yet born when he and his favorite artists were rockin' the heavy metal world.
Despite the rock foundation of the Trio's music, the concert was still a jazz performance. Even when they were really jamming, their arrangements were not made for head banging as the originals were. This was easy listening with a widespread temptation to start singing along to some of the more familiar songs. The Alex Skolnick Trio is not a cover band; they give rock and heavy metal a whole new meaning, not to mention defining hard core jazz.