Customer Reviews

If Four Was One

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

T.J. Kirk stands for "T"=Thelonius, "J"=James Brown, and "Kirk"=Rasaan Roland Kirk. These three virtousos and drummer take the compositions of these legendary artists and become legendary in their own right. PLEASE, do not think cover band for one second. That is the furthest thing from what went on within T.J. Kirk. The quartet consists of Wil Bernard (g), Jon Schott(g), Charlie Hunter (g/b), and Scott Amendola(d). Schott and Bernard basically go back and fourth funking down with totally unique styles within these classic artitst's frame works. Charlie Hunter, a man quickly gaining fame, plays an 8 string homemade bass/guitar. 3 Bass strings and 5 guitar. He lays down the bass lines and plucks chords on his guitar strings that are channelled through a MIDI to create an organ-like sound. On top of his funk, Bernard and Schott go off. Wil Bernard rocks hard, hence the song "ROCKHARD" and I believe Schott funks more. It is hard to tell sometimes what is going on, but what certainly is going on is deep grooves and great timing. The stop and go style so prevelant in James Brown's music is not lost on this band. I promise anyone who has not heard this album that if you like funk, guitar, James Brown and the best band you have never heard than "IF FOUR WAS ONE" is for you. Waste no time even thinking about buying another album before you buy this one.

By now, you know all about T.J. Kirk's strange three guitar lineup and their odd source of material, drawing upon the Godfather of Soul, Monk and multi-instrumentalist Kirk. What you may not know is this is some of the greatest guitar music ever played. This addictive music is cerebral, inventive, instrumental, eclectic, rockin', soulful, jazzy, funky and psychedelic. What more could you ask for? This sophomore and final studio effort showcases T.J. Kirk's best production and compositions; they went out with a bang. This album doesn't rock as hard as its predecessor, but it's more dynamic. "If Four Was One" was nominated for a Grammy® and for good reason. This golden treasure is out-of-print! How can this be?! There is no justice. While there may be no justice in the world, there's only a few bucks between you and a copy of this pinnacle of Western civilization as sold though Amazon's marketplace sellers. Listen to "If Four Was One" and melt your brain with some of the greatest guitar music ever played.

These guys have seamlessly blended their influences and source material into a unified, breezy jazz-funk style. Their James Brown covers sound like their Roland Kirk covers, and if you are unfamiliar with the originals, you won't be able to hear the difference. Most of this is really propulsive, fun stuff. Not for jazz purists, though.

Although Charlie Hunter is not really the main guitarist in this band, fans of his work will be very comfortable here.

This is a no-brainer. Buy this album! If you even thought for a split-second that you might like this album, don't hesitate. The sooner you can get this in your CD player, the better. An unbelievable collection of both high-energy, Tiki style jazz numbers, and soft-touch, spiritually laced guitar picking. This combination of guitar-styles and the happy-happy-joy-joy pace of Scott Amendola's drums, plants a permanent smile on your face, from the intial note through the last. Certainly, my favorite Charlie Hunter-involved CD. It will make you invent new styles of dance, and it could bring a tear to your eye from its perfection. Fun, fun, fun! It honestly couldn't get any better...Please do another album...Please!

This blend of jazz, funk and soul is off the charts. A great record, a must have. Charlie Hunter, John Schott and Will Bernard tear it up for the whole album.
Sound new and fresh even the songs date from the 50's 60's and 70's! 5 Stars.

This music is a patois of Jazz, Funk, Soul, Rock and something else which is yet undefined, unnamed. This group is the Grandchild of The Miles Davis Groups of the 1970s-1990s. T.J. Kirk charts a new way for guitars to be played and heard. T.J. Kirk is to other music as RAP is to Olde English. Yes they're the same language at the root, but it is as if from a single seed two completely different varieties of trees have grown.