Fusionistic firepower
​​The Aristocrats – Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, 22nd January 2020
On a cold Midlothian evening acclaimed jazz fusion power trio The Aristocrats rolled into Edinburgh with their recent album You know What...? to promote.
In this relatively niche genre these guys are the real deal and all three are sought after session men – not least of whom, guitarist Guthrie Govan, who seems to be a master of all styles.
Yet, outside of his session work, on-line guitar lessons, product endorsements, guitar for hire, huge YouTube hits and producer credentials Guthrie is, bizarrely, not that well known outside of serious muso circles
(a short stint in the early millennium with Asia notwithstanding).
The combination of Govan, American bassist Bryan Beller and German drummer Marco Minnemann is a true sight to behold and a joy to listen to their collective virtuosity because, whilst there is undeniably a profusion of noodling, widdling and para-diddling there is an underlying musicality to their performances.
There's also a lot of humour inolved – the infrequent trips to the microphone to introduce numbers usually contain a fine line in self-deprecation and a bizarre story regarding the song title; as examples look and listen no further than opening numbers 'Blues Fuckers' and 'D-Grade Fuck Movie Jam.'
There's a couple of songs destined to be on BBC Radio One… never.
But then such a tune and such a title kinda illustrates the ethos and fan-base of this band.
This is a unit that ploughs a furrow that will never be mainstream and I can almost guarantee that the majority of those in attendance will be musicians of some kind, there to witness guys who they could barely hope to emulate.
For this reviewer (and, yes, musician) there's nothing wrong with this type of hero worship, something that has existed since the early days of guitar heroes and the likes of Hendrix, Page and Clapton.
However, the difference is that with The Aristocrats all pretence of 'songs' has been stripped away and the gig is for the playing ability above all else.
That's not to say that they can't do songs or melodies – Guthrie Govan's contributions to Steven Wilson's solo albums amply illustrate that he most certainly can.
'Spanish Eddie' continues the introductory story to the song title theme before meandering into a very technical and extremely tight number with flamenco overtones; Guthrie Govan then ups the ante and veers into rifferama territory and a stunning solo.
We then launch into the Americana-country music piss-take that is 'When We All Came Together' with the result that more amazing ensemble playing ensues – do these guys never make a mistake?
Another highlight from the new album is 'The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde.'
In a live setting this ebbs and flows for a joyous eight minutes and more (The Aristocrats don't do brevity) while we all watch and listen, safe in the knowledge that there will be another stunning musical moment just around the next fusion shaped corner.
The set closes out with some older numbers including 'Get it Like That,' 'The Kentucky Meat Shower' and the beautiful 'Flatlands,' the latter a lesson in melody and dynamics.
Other highlights of the set included 'Desert Tornado' and 'Smuggler's Corridor' but special mention has to go to 'Last Orders' from the new album; the latter is a spacious, jazz-tinted and ever-shifting tune destined to be a live staple of an Aristocrats set for many years to come.
The Aristocrats. An acquired taste? For sure.
But You Know What? Once you get it you're in for the fusionistic duration.