Review of “Hip to the Skip” by the Christian Fabian Trio

Can drummer/vibist Jason Marsalis play funky jazz fusion?

Sorry to shortchange album leader Christian Fabian, a fine electric bassist with six of his own CDs and numerous recordings with many others, but when you hire a Marsalis for a fusion gig, that’s what’s going to raise the eyebrows. It’s impossible to avoid the question on the Christian Fabian Trio’s new release Hip to the Skip (Spicerack).

This is the Jason Marsalis who grew as a musician under the stern traditionalist eyes of father Ellis and brother Wynton (Branford gets a pass for his brief funky diversion as “Buckshot Lafonque” in the 1990s). It’s the same Jason who got early training in Marcus Roberts’s trio, is the featured vibes player with the Lionel Hampton ghost band, and who currently leads the “21st Century Trad Band.” Billy Cobham he is not.

But hey, this is the great thing about jazz — you stretch, you practice, you keep your ears open, you hang with diverse musicians, and you deliver what the gig demands. Yes, Jason recorded George Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” with the Marcus Roberts Trio and the Saito Kinen orchestra, but here he’s laying down the fatback with power and style. And on “Incognito,” he’s still swinging hard behind Fabian’s irresistible walking bass.

This trio’s hook is providing contemporary, fusion-informed arrangements of some dusty standards, including “Moanin’,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and “Four.” There are also originals from Fabian, Marsalis, and keyboardist Matt King. As well as Fabian and King are playing, it must be said, Marsalis is driving the trio with inventive propulsion and some deep grooves. Christian takes some excellent solos on electric bass, and while some of King’s synth patches sound a bit dated, he solos with feeling for the genre without overdoing it with prog fusion grandiosity.

Recommended, especially for the Marsalis cynics!

(Originally published on the Arts Fuse, February 1, 2024)