Shane Theriot	Website:	www.ShaneTheriot.com
	Genre(s):	Jazz Fusion, Funk, Progressive
	Instrument(s):	Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
	Trademark(s):	World class guitarist, progressive, diverse, stylistic fusion compositions, New Orleans flavored jazz influences
	Album(s):	Highway 90 The Grease Factor
	Collaborations:
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I was far into my drive from Connecticut to Florida on Highway 95 when I decided to check out Highway 90 by Shane Theriot. I had already exhausted the contents of my 12 disc changer and needed something new to keep me awake and attentive. I was praying for a miracle and Theriot answered that prayer with his stylish, classy spin-off of blues and jazz. There is something to be said for good timing.

With an all-star lineup of seasoned studio pros backing him up including bassist extraordinaire Victor Wooten and seasoned keyboards wiz Art Neville, among a slew of other notable talents, Theriot lays down eleven tracks of sophisticated blues that blurry the line between jazz, blues, and fusion, throwing into the mix a tasty portion of jazz and Cajun stylisms from the New Orleans cultural microcosm. Demonstrating an uncanny maturity in judgement on Highway 90, Theriot's presence is always tactful and balanced. This maturity usually does not develop for many musicians until later in their careers, if at all. Shane's focus is on creating good music that concentrates on delving into the development of musical stylisms and not primarily on imposing guitar technicianry on the listener, though his playing is very refined and his scope is comprehensive. Theriot's style is developed more around thoughtful phrasing, counterpoint, and tactical changes than on speedy technique. The result is good for the listener. Theriot covers a lot of ground in his phrasing with a broad vocabulary that does not repeat itself, happily avoiding this pitfall that many guitarists fall into. Any musician who has ever ventured an attempt can appreciate the effort that it takes to develop and execute a coherent and appealing repertoire of chops that spans an entire album without repetition. And, Shane can move with the changes like a jazz ninja master running blindfolded across a catwalk on a windy, moonless night. He is that deft, subtle, and silky smooth.

Shane Theriot embraces progressive jazz-blues with his own, unique style and character. Theriot covers a range of styles from New Orleans jazz, blues, fusion, and his definitive Cajun flavoring that pulls some very interesting rhythmic signatures, tempos, changes, and tonality into his arrangements. Theriot is reminiscent to me of Jimmy Smith in his blues stylisms (but this might just be Johnny Neel on the Moog) and Michael Lee Firkins in that Theriot has a distinctive (New Orleans, Cajun) accent to his style that is analogous to Firkins with his Southwestern flavor. Theriot applies some very unusual time signatures for the Cajun rhythms within his arrangements and integrates these odd rhythms, tempos, and syncopation so smoothly that the odd signatures become deceptively transparent to the listener, until the listener tries to count out the beats. In addition to achieving a distinctive flavor, Shane also shares coverage of "The Street Beater" (the theme from Sanford And Son TV series) with Michael Lee Firkins. Theriot is also a little similiar to Greg Howe in his seemless presentation of melodies that he integrates with subtle grace, though I would say that Theriot's melodies are more subdued, low-keyed, and understated which actually makes them better the more you listen to them.

The highlights for me on Highway 90 were the grooving "It Ain't My Fault", reminiscent to me of Greg Howe's "Just Kiddin'" in the concept of capturing a human attitude in music, though Theriot's angle on this track captures a distinctive feel of Cajun culture, and try counting out the beats on this track!; followed by the catchy "Highway 90"; the well-covered standard, "The Street Beater"; the tasteful and delightfully surprising "Punch"; and the uplifting "1321 N. Las Palmas" with its well-felt melody. But, this cavalcade of stylistic exposition and flavorful musical gumbo is not limited to these few tracks at all. No, not at all... There is a lot of good stuff here folks!

What I liked about Highway 90 is that it was sophisticated enough to keep a musician's attention, but it also possessed an accessibility that makes it appealing to a wider audience. Shane Theriot's objective is obviously not blazing-fast, shredding fretboard work on Highway 90. But, there is a lot of enjoyable music laden with savory stylisms, tactful counterpoint, thematic development, silky transitions, cool time signatures, entertaining rhythms, and off-the-traveled-path harmonization on this CD that makes it worthwhile. Theriot is a polished player with a good sense for musicality and integrating his guitar work with other talented players. Highway 90 is consistent in its quality and is solid from start to finish. Theriot's subtle style and presence grows on you the more you listen to it, which is a great achievement in itself. And, like the movie Shane, Theriot is a quiet, low-keyed visitor that is packing just a little more heat and potency than anybody might see right away, unless they were paying close attention to his subtle intensity. Shane Theriot is definitely an emerging talent with style and character by the bushel. I look forward to hearing more from him.

October 2003: Highway 90 Revisited

As a parting note regarding Shane Theriot's Highway 90, the original review was written in April 2002 based upon a short term exposure to this album. Upon further listening and some time for this album to sink in, Theriot's debut solo release, Highway 90, has proven to be made of the substance that has withstood the tests of time and has become more enjoyable over time. This album serves as a great example of what can be accomplished by directing some warranted attention to and focusing on stylistic elements of music, as well as the use of unusual time signatures, time changes, and inventive harmonization to craft music rather than relying solely on guitar technique. Guitarists that find themselves falling into that common pitfall of the guitar technique obsessive-compulsive disorder should take a listen to this album to broaden their musical perspective!

On the scale of "into it", I am more into it now than when I first gave it the thumbs up!

Shane Theriot follows up his debut release, Highway 90, with his second album, The Grease Factor, that cranks it up a notch from his original release. Theriot adds a slew of veteran progressive / fusion talent to the lineup for this release including Victor Wooten, Jeff Sipe, and Jeff Coffin, among others. Shane reembarks on his stylistic venture into his unique brand of New Orleans cajun fusion, this time with more aggressive, fusion-ish playing and speedy segments than his previous effort. Theriot's most significant accomplishment on this CD is his establishment of a distinctively unique style of music that distinguishes him clearly from other artists. Theriot's blend of his native Louisiana musical stylisms, classic jazz harmonization, and tasteful fusion are integrated with a seamless ease that gives the listener the a sense of natural familiarity with this unusual style.

Though the music is upbeat and lively, the style is laid back and inviting more than aggressive. The arrangements have a classic feel to them with the tactful chord progressions, enlightening musical themes, and jazzy phrasings that keep the music constantly moving and interesting. The tonality and rhythms are interesting and involved, but keep within accessible boundaries without going astray into the far reaches of abstract outer space. Theriot deploys some compelling outside runs and themes from exotic jazz scales that are gracefully woven into his widely scoped arrangements. Theriot's leadwork is also tactful with an emphasis on its place in the overall soundscape rather than guitar domination of the sonic constituency. Theriot strikes an interesting balance between his savvy guitar work and the host of supporting players offer an excellent canvas for Theriot. But, fusion fans of the guitar-centric variety need not worry, because there is plenty of quality guitar work put forth by Theriot to makes for an enjoyable and entertaining listen. Neel's keyboard work is also notable throughout with a consistent, well-integrated effort that provides a satisfying contrast to Theriot.

If you are a fan of tactful fusion that strives to capture the listener's attention and imagination with thoughtful, tasty playing rather than to enslave the listener with an onslaught of overwhelming instrumental pyrotechnics, then Shane Theriot's release, The Grease Factor, is something worth checking out. Theriot has achieved an excellent balance between diverse listener accessibility, compositional savvy, flavorful stylisms, savory musical ideas, and well-integrated production on this release. Theriot's sense for musical style will undoubtedly make this album accessible to a wide audience that will not be limited to fusion fans because Theriot targets the listeners moreso than the technicians, and with good results. But, educated listeners will certainly appreciate Theriot's musical depth and the manner in which he adapts it to a universally accessible format while keeping consistent musical intensity that hits a good groove track after track. Theriot has produced a superb album for enjoyable listening while giving enough substance for the guitar technicianry dogs to knaw on for a long time while pondering the duality of his musicality and technicianry.

Theriot is pressing hard at the gates of the world class arena with this release. Stylistically, it seems Theriot has distinguished himself as a world class player and jazz / fusion composer on this release that reinforces his abilities that he demonstrated no Highway 90.

Copyright 2001 - 2003 Christopher Ruel. All Rights Reserved. www.ChrisRuel.com