Griffith Hiltz Trio, This is What You Get

The world is unstable. The music world is unstable. The universe is unstable. That's why life and music are both interesting, sometimes. So when you think "jazz-rock" don't think that it's a simple matter. Jazz-rock means anything from either world combines in whatever proportion it does with anything from the other. In the case of the Griffith Hiltz Trio and their album This is What You Get. . . (self-released) it's a different mix of elements than you are used to, I'll suspect.

They combine an interesting compositional way with folk-surf-ragtime-Stravinsky-hardbop and what-have-you. The what-have-you is what we don't usually have and so it's something to hear that will probably put you in another place.

The trio is Johnny Griffith, alto-tenor-bass clarinet, Nathan Hiltz, electric guitar and banjo, Sly Juhas, drums.

And the thing about these three is not that individually they are in any way the next Trane(s) arriving, but rather that they make something new as a together trio, that they are a Trane station where things come, so to speak.

If you are a guitarist you'll like what Hiltz is up to--what he references and how. Griffith is no slouch either. Nor is Juhas. All-in-all it's the group music that is what makes this unique. It's retro-futuristic!