by JOHNSON CUMMINS

All musical truths can be found in the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. In one sidesplitting scene, the fictitious heavy metal band have found themselves musically and morally bankrupt, and launch into freeform jazz while the last of their fan base look on with disinterest. Alex Skolnick's story is dangerously similar to that of "the Taps," but miraculously enough, he comes out the other side with substantially different results.

Skolnick is best known as the former guitarist for thrash metal band Testament. In 1992, he left that band to pursue his true love - improvisational jazz. Sounds shitty, right? Hold on, it gets better.

Not only has Skolnick re-emerged as a jazz player, he has chosen songs by Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Aerosmith, Kiss, the Who and more, and given them bossa nova, swing, funk and Latin arrangements. Despite Skolnick's lofty intentions looking horrible in black and white, he has managed to win praise from both moshers and the rather snooty jazzbo rag Downbeat. The Mirror talked to Skolnick over the phone as he was finishing rehearsals in New York.

Mirror: Do you get a lot of Testament's fans coming out to the shows?

Alex Skolnick: We've gotten a real mix of people, from Testament fans to people who really like improvisational jazz. Some of the Testament fans know what to expect and some of them don't, but most of them seem to love it. The last time they saw me was from a mosh pit and now they get to sit up close, listen and have a new musical experience.

M: How did a metalhead get so into jazz?

AS: I guess the first time it really hit me was when I was 19 and recording the second Testament record, and I saw Miles Davis on TV. I think he was playing with Mike Stern or John Scofield, and I was just blown away. I didn't even think of it as jazz because there was so much energy and there was so much going on. After that I took traditional jazz lessons when I wasn't on the road with Testament, to try to get to the electric, outside stuff that I saw Miles doing, but through the lessons I also started to really develop an appreciation for traditional jazz. Now people like Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt are among my favourite players. Jazz just became an addiction to me after a while.

M: Do you still listen to heavy metal?

AS: Oh yeah, not as much as I used to but I really like to keep up with what's going on. I went to the Ozzfest and absolutely loved it, and I just played a solo on the new Lamb of God record, so it's good to reconnect. But I think that improvisation is really my main thing.

M: How did you select the songs you're rearranging?

AS: Well, the Scorpions' "No One Like You," I actually dreamed. I was studying jazz and hearing jazz rhythms all the time. I went to bed and dreamed that Scorpions song, and it just fit perfectly with this bossa nova rhythm. I woke up the next day thinking that was a great melody. I brought it into the band and we all just laughed, but when we started playing, it just clicked perfectly and that was the song that opened all the doors for us.

At Petit Campus on Saturday, Aug. 21, 9 p.m., $12.50

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