JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
Rating: 
Kif is world fusion, but there is precious little jazz in it, unless you count the presence of improvisation. It’s mostly a blend of Middle Eastern and North African rhythms and modes, funk, and rock, but other influences makes themselves felt.
Rufus Cappadocia, who plays cello, may headline the band with David “Fuze” Fiuczynski, but it’s Fiuczynski’s solos, the arrangements and the rhythm section which create most of the interest. Rufus Cappadocia’s solos, while perfectly competent, tend to stick to the same two or three modes, which isn’t all that exciting. There’s a great deal more energy and unpredictability to Fiuczynski’s playing. He’s as likely to whip out a Indonesian gamelan modal scale on the tune Chinese GoGo as a metal solo on Purple Vishnu.
For those unfamiliar with David Fiuczynski, his main ax is a fretless guitar, which allows him to play microtonally. He has a unique sensibility, so even though he has major jazz chops, and has played with adventurous artists such as drummer Billy Hart and pianist Hiromi, he’s more drawn to bizarre fusion projects like Screaming Headless Torsos, which incorporates metal, funk and yodeling, for a start.
The credits on Kif don’t specify who is responsible for the arrangements, so I’m going to guess the band as a whole. There is a lot of variety in timbres and styles, especially because of the participation of Matt Darriau (kaval, clarinet, gaida), Matte Henderson (programming), and Lian Amber (vocals). Even though there is a heavy emphasis on grooves, every once in a while there are lyrical rubato passages reminisent of Bulgarian instrumental folk music, for example.
To sum up, Kif features impeccable musicianship, takes us to places that improvisational music rarely ventures, and provokes with unlikely juxtapositions of seemingly incompatible music genres, with a great deal of tact and youthful enthusiasm. It seems ungrateful to ask for more.