Hooked: Joel Hoekstra on AC/DC's "Back in Black"

“The title definitely makes a statement,” says Alex Skolnick, referring to Prove You’re Not a Robot, the latest release by his jazz-rock ensemble, the Alex Skolnick Trio. “On the one hand, it’s a phrase we’ve all encountered online, and I think, ‘Why should I have to prove I’m not a robot, especially when a robot is posing the question?’

“On the other hand, there’s a musical statement,” he continues. “There’s been a decline in many types of music, most of it in the pop world where a lot of it has become more robotic. They’ve conducted tests and have found that people can’t tell the difference between actual artists and AI-generated music, but that doesn’t happen with jazz. When you get a quality group of dedicated musicians, their work can’t be replicated.”