Lorber's complex cadences underscore the earworm melodic hook, and he delivers a mean meat-and-potatoes jazz-funk solo. Ford returns with all burners cooking on "Truth." Lorber offers his funkiest clavinet atop his layered keyboards, while the horn interplay between Mann and Mintzer is sumptuous, and deeply in the pocket. The bubbling rhythm tracks are saturated with snare breaks and a churning, bumping bassline from Haslip framing Meek's gorgeous soprano saxophone and Laws' flute that join in an adventurous lyric statement. "Chick," dedicated to the memory of Chick Corea, is pure fusion. Drenched in Southern-flavored R&B, its lilting, sunny melody is intercut with elegant bass, sax, and keyboard lines - on piano, synths, and a B-3 - as Landau's guitar channels the gritty funk of the Meters' guitarist Leo Nocentelli. "Louisiana" is uncharacteristic of the JLF. "Memorex" is cooking jazz-funk with knotty horn and keyboard lines contrasting melodic vamps and counterpoint as Albright's popping bassline wrangles with the piano and Mann's horns for dominance. When they emerge, it's as a unit soaring toward the horizon together. Momentarily referencing the vamp from Grover Washington, Jr.'s "Mister Magic," the rhythm section funkily bumps and bounces around the front line, pushing them inside the melody. "Mind Reader" is one of two cuts that benefit from Ford's guitar exchanges with Mintzer and Lorber. Lorber grafts on tenets of Pat Metheny's euphoric harmonic vocabulary to frame his canny piano fills and solo. "Sun Princess" commences as a lithe, contemporary jazz groover. The bright, funky, bluesy interplay between Jackson's guitar and Mann's sax on "Back Room" is infectious. Mintzer enters on the second chorus, extending its harmonic reach to the stratosphere without losing the groove. Lorber states the vamp on the Fender Rhodes, framed by synth bass and guitar as Novak and Haslip drive the tempo. Musicians / Personnel: Danny Wilson – Bass, Dennis Bradford – Drums, Kenny Gorelick – Flute, Saxophone, Jay Koder – Guitar, Paulinho Da Costa.The double-time groove in the title cut opens the set as a breezy sprint. Our favorite pieces are.īy SomehowJazz | | Favorite Tunes, Jazz Fusion | 0 commentsShadows by Jeff Lorber Fusion from the album “Wizard Island” released in 1980 by Arista Records. We were surprised by its uniqueness when it first came out.
Chick Coreaīy SomehowJazz | | Jazz Fusion | 0 commentsRooftops by Jeff Lorber Fusion from the album “WIZARD ISLAND” released in 1980 by Arista Records… MUSICIANS / PERSONNEL: Chick Corea – Moog Synthesizer | Jeff Lorber – Acoustic Piano | Dennis Bradford – Drums | Danny Wilson – Electric.īy SomehowJazz | | Jazz Fusion | 0 commentsReflections by Jeff Lorber Fusion from the album “WIZARD ISLAND” released in 1980 by Arista Records… MUSICIANS / PERSONNEL: Jeff Lorber – Acoustic Piano | Dennis Bradford – Drums | Danny Wilson – Electric Bass | Kenny.īy SomehowJazz | | Jazz Fusion | 0 commentsCity by Jeff lorber Fusion from the album “WIZARD ISLAND” released in 1980 by Arista Records… MUSICIANS / PERSONNEL: Jeff Lorber -Acoustic & Electric Piano, Synthesizers | Dennis Bradford – Drums | Danny Wilson – Electric Bass.īy SomehowJazz | | Favorite Albums, Jazz Fusion | 0 commentsJeff Lorber Fusion – Wizard Island (Arista / 1980) This innovative and intensive album has a special place in our record collection as a milestone in the jazz fusion genre.