CAB4 is their third release on King Records in Japan. (Yes, we wondered too about this 4 and 3 business -- more on that below.) Its also the most incendiary collision of rock, jazz, passion, and blinding chops that youll hear anywhere today -- but of course, with a lineup like this, who would expect anything less?

CAB consists of guitar monster Tony MacAlpine, bass wizard and Return To Forever alumnus Bunny Brunel, legendary British organist Brian Auger, elegant and ingenious keyboard innovator Patrice Rushen, and the force-of-nature, played-with-everybody, unstoppable rhythm dynamo Dennis Chambers on drums -- each a giant on his or her own terms. Together, they are unlike anything heard since the glory days of jazz-rock fusion. As Steve Vai said it "This is the best fusion album since Return To Forever."

But wait. Isnt "fusion" a dirty word? Not in CAB country: Their unique balance of rock (Auger, MacAlpine) and jazz (Rushen, Chambers, Brunel) talents assures that both idioms are well represented and blended into something entirely new.

CAB is, in fact, something like what jazz might have become had the torch not been dropped so soon after the fusion race had begun. That long-gone sense of limitless possibilities that once surrounded RTF, Weather Report, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra traced back to Miles Davis and his crossover experiments in the sixties. In its willingness to question stereotypes, redefine improvisation, and push virtuosity to new extremes, this music was akin to bebop; as the product of exploration by the best players of the day, it represented the best of jazz, period.

But then the winds shifted, and jazz became archival -- an exercise in animating the remains of what had been played generations ago. Or it melted into a simplification of once vital ideas. In either case, adventure receded into the freezer, to be replaced by something that goes down easy, leaving little aftertaste -- or, for that matter, any taste at all.

That began to change three years ago, when MacAlpine, Brunel, and Chambers got together for the first CAB album. Lauded by Allmusic.com for "providing the world with a much-needed shot of adrenaline," CAB also hipped the trio to the potential for working together as a team. A year later, in 2001, they joined forces for the Grammy Nominated CAB2, with Auger now invited to the party. Their sound was fuller now, and spread across a wider spectrum.

Though individual and guest projects clogged their calendars, the foursome decided in 2003 to challenge themselves again. Once more they opened the door, this time to Rushen, whose advanced harmonies added yet another dimension. Inspired now by their intensifying musical communion, they took the fusion pledge -- defy convention, keep standards high, and take every risk you can -- and plunged into CAB 4.

Their method was, of course, anything but predictable: Having already established themselves as a versatile live combination in the studio and in gigs, CAB tried something different on 4. This time, each track began with the writer, either MacAlpine or Brunel, creating a demo of the tune. This was then passed along to Auger and Rushen, who added their parts. Later they all went into the studio with Chambers to complete the project. Dennis unleashed rhythms that uncannily supported, interacted with, bounced through, and otherwise led to a final version as alive as any concert performance.

Drawn from their collective history in working with an assembly of giants, from Chick Corea to Sonny Boy Williamson, Eric Clapton to Parliament/Funkadelic, and Herbie Hancock to Carlos Santana, CAB just may be the next step in the evolution of instrumental music. If youre a skeptic, give them a chance, for CAB4 is ultimately about making music more than shooting off fireworks, and playing from the heart more than to some focus groups blueprint. That at least is enough to distinguish this all-star ensemble.

And if you remember when artists were interested less in echoing the past than in pointing the way toward the future, this is the band youve been waiting for.

Oh, yeah Why wasnt there a CAB 3?

Theyre saving that for their next project -- a live album.

See? We told you these guys are unpredictable. Catch this CAB and take a ride......