Skolnick, Alex Trio - Prove You're Not a Robot [LP]

ALEX SKOLNICK: "I feel this album represents my strongest work as a composer, with several pieces written at the piano" the bandleader offers. "The soloing also went to new places for all of us. Nathan and Matt really brought their A-game throughout. I think it's safe to say this is the record we're all most proud of."___________________________________As their sixth album, the title has multiple meanings. On the one hand, it reflects the effort to hold onto the  collective humanity in an era of increasing reliance on technology. Secondly, it represents the notion that the process of direct human interaction - particularly music that captures inspired improvisations and compositions - cannot be replaced with AI. Additionally, the title refers to a time of unprecedented political polarization coupled by mass addiction to social media and people who exhibit robot-like behavior. Finally, it is a phrase that should be all too familiar to anyone who's ever forgotten their online password, a situation humorously captured in the video for the title track.Although original songs make up the majority of PYNAR, there are two quirky arrangements in the classic AST mold, including "Breakdown" (Tom Petty) and a mind-bending mashup no one saw coming, "Armando's Mood," which pays tribute the late piano master Chick Corea and Yes guitarist Steve Howe.