The Guitar Player's Resource
The New York area band Trikus, led by bassist/keyboardist/composer George Hoar submitted their self-titled, ten song instrumental CD-R, and the album delivers a hard edged jazz/world/blues sound that is immediately likable and of keen interest for both guitar and bass fans. The opening, multi-layered track, "Front St." features a classic guest performance by none other than Mike Stern, while the second track, "Free Bass", is a grooving George Hoar-led bass showcase (he plays four basses), but for a novelty track, is fine stand-alone composition as well. Guitarist Kevin Lutke plays mature, modern fusion lines on he bulk of the remaining tracks, while Mike Hogan plays the six-string on the sixth track, "FX", a similarly bass-heavy/guitar fusion extravaganza. The final bass inspired piece on the album is "Palette One", a lyrical piece which finds Hoar going toe to toe with himself on piano. Trikus has a modern sound, outstanding musicianship, a sense of humor and a great direction for the future. Try to get a hold of any official recording by this band when they become available - you can't go wrong. Trikus were originally profiled in the October-November, 2002 edition of The Undiscovered.
George has studied music at William Patterson with an impressive list of instructors, including Rufus Reid, Dave Samuel, Harold Maybern and Art Resnick. He also studied arranging with Don Fornuto. The group Trikus, which focuses on improvisation and meditative melodies, has performed in many club venues and recently were asked to play for Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for two consecutive years. The drummer heard on the Trikus CD is Mike Feldman, who drives the Hoar compositions with his unfaltering rhythm chops.
Hoar and Trikus continue to gig in the Northeast in order to increase their fan base and infuse the world of contemporary jazz with their maiden release.
George Hoar
United States