Inzinzac: Avant Philadelphia Musical Madness At Its Best

The Philadelphia trio Inzinzac comes through with raw, wild, avant blasts of adventurous sound on their first, self-titled release (High Two 028). Alban Bailly skronks out on electric guitar and wrote the music; Dan Scofield shows some power on soprano and tenor; Eli Litwin mans the drums.

There are moments that have the scratchy asymmetry of Beefheart's Trout Mask band. There are jagged ensemble passages that invigorate the ears. There are abstract expressionist takes on jazz-rock that transform the premises of the form into something different. There are moments of anarchic frenzy that envelope the listener with waves of complexity.

Mr. Bailly has a guitar style somewhere between early Sonny Sharrock and perhaps Marc Ducret. It is an interesting approach. But it's the prearranged written compositional side of the band that shines forth most brightly.

It's not as if the band is covering territory never set foot on by musicians in the past. But they nevertheless get it right and hit you hard right in the aural lebanza. A serious, good, intense ear workout for the prepared. Encore!