JAZZ REVIEW : Like Your Monk Doused With Grunge? Try T.J. Kirk

The short set from the San Francisco-based band T.J. Kirk at the House of Blues on Wednesday portends a new musical genre: grunge jazz. Opening for the Yellowjackets, Kirk’s three-guitar and drums lineup suggests what might have happened if your neighborhood garage band had embraced Thelonious Monk instead of the Ventures or the Surfaris.

Traditional jazz fans will find little to like in Kirk’s crash-and-burn style. And the quartet little resembles the glossy side of the fusion movement represented by the Yellowjackets. But guitar-heads, alternative rockers and those jazz fans looking for something out of the ordinary will revel in the band’s electric irreverence.

TJK covers the material of Monk, James Brown and Rahsaan Roland Kirk (hence its name), occasionally “all at the same time,” as guitarist Will Bernard announced from the stage. And indeed, such disparate numbers as the late jazz saxophonist Kirk’s “Volunteered Slavery” and Brown’s “Soul Power” shared similar traits: hard backbeat, wiry solos and a general funkiness in tempo and style.

Despite these similarities, TJK offered enough variation to maintain interest. Country twang and heavy-metal thrash sometimes appeared in the same number. Monk’s lively “Bemsha Swing” was played at a head-banging tempo. Only on the Brown covers, especially “Cold Sweat,” did the group cook along in a way that resembled the original.

The contrasting sound of the three guitarists also went a long way toward giving this music personality. Charlie Hunter (whose own trio played here in August) pulled double duty on his eight-string guitar, providing the solid bass lines so important to this music as well as guitar tones that often recall the whine of Hammond organ. Fez-topped guitarist John Schott injected needling lines and occasional, glassy synthesized passages. Beret-sporting Bernard was the group’s down-and-dirty member, scattering wah-wah and fuzz tones throughout his aggressive play.

Bernard announced that the group knew only one ballad before launching into Monk’s “Ruby My Dear.” And that’s one ballad too many. Even drummer Scott Amendola seemed to lose interest in the tune’s plodding pace. The Kirk band would do well to stay away from soft covers and stick to its tough, tempestuous approach to three 20th century musical heroes.