T.J. Kirk cops its own trek

Spencer Patterson

Friday, May 28, 2004 | 8:28 a.m.

Think T.J. Kirk is a peculiar name for a jazz combo?

It's certainly no stranger than James T. Kirk, the name the San Francisco quartet used for a brief period in the mid-1990s.

That was before Paramount Pictures threatened to sue the group for unauthorized use of William Shatner's "Star Trek" character's name.

Undeterred, the four men still paid tribute to Shatner by calling themselves T.J. Kirk, borrowing the "Kirk" from "Star Trek" and the "T.J." from Shatner's other well-known television series, "T.J. Hooker."

More importantly, the new name also reflected the quartet's unconventional musical mission: celebrating the careers of three legendary performers -- pianist Thelonious Monk ("T"), vocalist James Brown ("J") and saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk ("Kirk").

On albums and on tour, T.J. Kirk played only cover versions of songs written by that trio, blending the bop of Monk, the avant-garde stylings of Kirk and the funk of Brown into something altogether fresh.

The group recorded just two discs before calling it quits. The second, 1996's "If Four Was One," received more notoriety, even garnering a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.

The 1995 self-titled debut is equally strong, however, and may offer a slightly more accessible introduction to T.J. Kirk.

Headlining the band's three-guitar lineup is Charlie Hunter, a player whose solo work should be familiar to modern jazz enthusiasts.

Utilizing his groundbreaking eight-string instrument, Hunter provides not only many of T.J. Kirk's finer guitar solos, but also its entire low end, simultaneously producing a consistent bass line on the same guitar.

You'll swear there must be a full-time bassist on such tracks as Brown's "Soul Power" and Kirk's "Volunteered Slavery," but the remainder of T.J. Kirk's lineup actually consists of two more guitarists -- Will Bernard and John Schott -- and drummer Scott Amendola.

It's often difficult to determine which guitarist is playing which part, but that information hardly seems vital. What is important is the chemistry between the foursome, evident on everything from a funked-out rendition of Kirk's "Freaks For the Festival" to a borderline metallic take on Monk's "Epistrophy."

In 2003, after more than five years of inactivity, T.J. Kirk reunited briefly for a pair of shows to mark the release of live, Internet-only disc, "Talking Only Makes it Worse."

Artist: T.J. Kirk.

Title: "T.J. Kirk."

Year of release: 1995 (Warner Bros.).

Tracklisting: "Soul Power," "Teo," "Bemsha Swing," Shuffle Boil"/"You Can Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks and I'll Be Straight," "Volunteered Slavery," "Serenade to a Cuckoo," "Freaks for the Festival," "Cold Sweat," "Rip, Rig & Panic," "Humph," "Epistrophy," "I Got to Move"/"In Walked Bud," "Jackie-ing."