Me and fellow editor Nick are always on the lookout for more jazz fusion. A lot of progressive metal has jazz influences, but those usually feel more like metal with jazz on the side, whereas pure jazz metal is hard to find. Enter Pitts Minnemann Project, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s an instrumental prog/jazz fusion project featuring Jimmy Pitts of Scholomance and Marco Minnemann of, well, every band ever (Necrophagist, Ephel Duath, Joe Satriani and more). Also in the lineup are Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschlager on guitar (including fretless guitar, which he also played on the latest Obscura album) and Jerry Twyford (Scholomance). Excited yet? Well, their new track “Imaginary Numbers” off their upcoming crowd-funded album The Psychic Planetarium is a delightful jazz piece with tasteful sax and trumpet usage. I mean, can it be any more enticing?
Seriously, this song is exquisite. Featuring Joshua Thomson from Atlas Maior on saxophone and Jim Shannon on the trumpet, this song seamlessly and masterfully blends those elements into an old-school prog metal extravaganza. Coupled with keyboard shenanigans, fretless guitar solos and Marco Minnemann’s trademark drumming, Imaginary Numbers is definitely a treat for anyone who enjoys any of the words I just typed. Check it out here!
If you like what you hear and want more, you can go check out their Indiegogo funding page, which contains some other material. They’re currently in the process of seeking funds for their album, so help them out!
Oh, also, Tom Geldschlager has put up a guitar playthrough of this song as well, which you can also find here:
-NT