A Night of Prog Rock, Jazz Fusion, and Experimental Music!
PAKT, a true super group of master musicians merging & colliding new music in the realms of progressive rock, electric jazz, experimental, ambient, psychedelic and beyond, is an experience as much as a musical project. An IMAX film for the ears, PAKT takes its listeners on an improvised sonic voyage with no preconceived destination, minimal pre-planning and little use for forms and conventions. Rare is the musician who can thrive in such a spontaneous environment but Percy Jones (fretless bass guitar), Alex Skolnick (guitar), Kenny Grohowski (drums) and Tim Motzer (guitar and electronics) are all up to the task. Armed with enough tastefully used effects to stock a small music store, Motzer and Skolnick create sounds so atmospheric and ethereal that one might not guess their source is a guitar. Meanwhile, Grohowski and Jones approach their instruments in textural manners that seamlessly intertwine with each other and the quartet as a whole. The music runs the gamut from highly sensitive to intense, with all four musicians’ listening skills so strong that their collective playing is as cohesive as it is unpredictable. Welsh bassist Jones (now a New York resident) is known for his tenure in the legendary jazz fusion group Brand X (whose classic lineup included drummer Phil Collins, yes that one) and extensive studio work (especially with Brian Eno). Skolnick is a diverse improviser whose jazz and world playing and instrumental associations (including bass virtuosos Stuart Hamm and Michael Manring) forms a Jeckyll & Hyde dynamic with his high profile as lead guitarist of the metal band Testament. Grohowski's many recent associations include John Zorn, a reincarnated version of Brand X and masked avant-metal outfit, Imperial Triumphant. Motzer has a long background in free improvisation, including the bands Bandit65 (with fellow guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel) and Orion Tango, plus many other recorded collaborations for his 1k Recordings label.
Jane Getter Premonition has carved out a niche at the intersection of jazz, metal, rock and singer-songwriter with masterful playing of Getter’s “complex, sophisticated, and dynamic” compositions (All About Jazz). On tour, JGP has dazzled audiences at ProgStock, Outreach Music Festival (Austria), San Francisco Jazz Festival, bFlat Bar (India), Guitar City (Poland), Borderline (UK), North Sea Jazz Club (Netherlands) Iridium, and opened for Allan Holdsworth and Brand X. According to the ProgReport, JGP is “a stunning prog rock/jazz fusion outfit reminiscent of stylistic darlings like King Crimson and The Mahavishnu Orchestra”. The all-star band is led by guitarist, singer and award winning composer Jane Getter and features keyboardist Adam Holzman (Miles Davis, Steven Wilson), guitarist Alex Skolnick (Testament, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Rutherford resident bassist and singer Paul Frazier (David Byrne, Nile Rodgers) and drummer Gene Lake (David Sanborn, Nile Rodgers and Chic).