Jake Hertzog: Bonding
Recorded: West Orange NJ, October 2008
Rating: 90/100 (learn more)
“Bonding” employs a conventional guitar-acoustic bass-drums trio and even begins with a Thelonious Monk inspired passage, but it’s anything but a conventional bop song. As Hertzog’s intricate composition unfolds, it moves quickly from the Monk impressions to mysterious, ascending chords to out-and-out rock, and back again. Somehow, it all fits together well.
Amply supported by a muscular and flexible rhythm section, Hertzog’s licks show the harmonic sophistication of a jazzman while staying rooted in the blues, the same deadly combination that makes guitar god Eric Johnson stand out. Too often you see rock-jazz fusion attempted by musicians who only understand one half of the equation. Jake Hertzog knows it from both ends, and puts his well-rounded know-how to good use in “Bonding.”
Reviewer: S. Victor Aaron
Tags: 2000s jazz
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