Rick0 - Clean Fusion

Hear The Track Here

Most people who know me, know that I have an enquiring mind (Ed: which is why they all call him nosy bastard). I'm a curious fellow - in more ways than one. So imagine what excitement I felt when I started on this tracks review. Here's a guy, Rick0, who has been on Soundclick for-fekkin-evAH (Ed: 2003 it says here) and even got a nice tidy twenty five tracks on his page but only has one friend? In....(counts on fingers) seven years!! Holy crap batman, someone who is more unpopular than me!!! Of course, I joke, but nonetheless doubtless there's a story to be told here. So I will have to put my nosy instincts to one side and just go by the thing we are all here for, the music. Rick0 is a jazz fusion musician from the US who is obviously a new name to me, despite all I've said above. Soundclick, as I've said many, many times before, is a very big place and there is only so much time...

I don't know about you but whenever I see the words Clean Fusion in relation to Jazz I start to develop a nervous tic. Personally I think that jazz fusion gets a bad press, sometimes deservedly so, but I have heard many inspiring musicians and tracks down the years, not the least being the glorious OnOffOn. Put it like this, I am always prepared to like jazz fusion, but don't often get the choice. Noodling is something entirely different, k?? I always associate the best jazz fusion (certainly from a guitarists point of view) is one where you can imagine the presenter nodding wisely after it and saying 'niiiiiiceee' direct to camera. It's a given then, that Rick0 is a guitarist, but that's just a description of what he does.

Musically what he shows on Clean Fusion is the quality of work that is on a par with the kind of things Jeff Beck does, that's how good he is. Anyone who knows me, would know that I don't make that statement lightly, Jeff Beck is right up there with the greats in my estimation. Of course, Rick0 is different, and even the merest drive by listen to this track will show that, although I heave heard Beck do similar material. For me, the key to any genre is, first and foremost, feel. get that right and the rest pretty much slips into place, which is exactly what this track does. Clean, clear and as smooth as a babies butt has but one fatal flaw - it's way too short. It weighs in at an equally baby-like one minute, forty and that definitely isn't enough for someone with a healthy jazz appetite. Excellent stuff, or should I say niiicccee...

Highly Recommended Jazz Fusion