‘Altered’ are a trio of equals, consisting of John Flitcraft – bass, guitarist Jeff Miley and Steve Holmes – drums. An appropriately monikered outfit (think altered scales, think ‘made different’), their style reminiscent of the Allan Holdsworth, Wayne Johnson and Steve Khan trios (and also Melbourne’s ‘Tip’), ‘Altered’ nonetheless have their own, individual identity.
The bassist’s Absotively kicks off the eponymously titled debut album: underpinned by sinewy bass, it moves along with a unique kind of nervous energy. Freaky like that, again penned by Flitcraft, is a notch up, a frisky vehicle for Miley and the bassist – who turns in a bouncy, tongue-firmly-in-cheek solo before taking it right down, with Miley and Holmes riding the tune out. The guitarist’s I must have been mistaken sports a Methenyish title and, indeed, the latter’s feeling for space. A vehicle for Flitcraft, too, it features Miley’s cataclysmic guitars (realization of mistake – denial – anger – acceptance: these stages are beautifully captured here). Scatter is an uptempo neo-bop composition by Flitcraft, featuring a melodic bass solo, and the bassist’s Dysfunctional is, appropriately enough, angular and jerky. Giant Steps offers a fairly straight-forward reading of the Trane tune, while 7 Chickens/ The Chicken is an arrangement of that perennial Pastorian favourite – in 7 time, courtesy of Holmes, which makes excellent musical sense. The last tune here, Flitcraft’s Sinister, is – well – sinister indeed: dark and snaky, an antidote to easy listening.
Moving to the band’s second album, the title tune by Flitcraft, a vehicle for Miley and Holmes, merges seamlessly into Bug: with Holdworthian guitar, it is slightly less urgent than Graphic. An almost pastoral atmosphere characterizes Digging out, before it settles into a slowish, no-nonsense groove, featuring an intoxicating solo by Flitcraft and Miley un-assumes the reins and Holmes gets a further chance to shine. The bassist’s Two Weeks from Everywhere is a Frisellian, left-of-centre Americana, desert-fusion type of tune; wonderful: an immediate favourite. Percolate, well, does percolate. Hectically creative, it (again) features strong ensemble playing. Miley’s Dr James is a ‘ballad’, for want of a better description, but with an inner propulsion suggested by both the harmonic movement and Holmes’s relentlessly unballadic fills and solo. Reunion, the longest track here, ends the album: again, Flitcraft turns in an unusual solo, before Miley positively soars and Holmes explodes yet again. What a joy it must be to experience this trio live!
In conversation with Martin Simpson, Flitcraft mentioned the substantial difference in recording and production between the two albums. Not to this listener, quite frankly: to my ears, both could have been recorded at the same time, under identical circumstances. If you’re fed up with smooth jazz and/ or faceless slap-pop histrionics, get into ‘Altered’: the band may just alter your listening habits …
