The third album of throwback fusion and funky soul from
Don Glori
, 2025's
Paper Can't Wrap Fire
is a feel-good summer jazz album. The stage name of Australian-born, London-based bassist and multi-instrumentalist
Gordon Li
,
has carved out a niche on the international nu jazz scene with his evocative, vintage-inspired grooves. These are the kinds of organic, club-friendly tracks that artists like
George Duke
Lonnie Liston-Smith
, and
George Benson
pumped out in the '70s and '80s. As
Li
crafts his own infectious songs that build upon the warm, analog vibe of those original LPs, but with a freshness and immediacy that feels genuine. While
Glori
impressively plays a plethora of instruments on his album, including bass, synths, percussion, and more, he also has a knack for picking collaborators who help bring his songs to life. Singer
ML Hall
comes on board for the romantic "Brown Eyes" and "Janet," urbane midtempo jams that wouldn't sound out of place on a classic
Al Jarreau
session. Similarly,
Hall
and singer
Bianca Kyriacou
team up on the hip-hop jazz-inspired "Flicker," harmonizing against a clipped beat and punchy, hard bop horn riffs. What's also impressive about
's work is how, much like the original artists who inspired him, he nicely contrasts his more pop-oriented material with exploratory forays into improvisational jazz. To these ends, we get the driving modalism of "Song for Ants" and the tropical,
Gato Barbieri
-esque bossa nova of "Precious," both of which feature hard-swinging and throaty performances from tenor saxophonist
Lachlan Thompson
. If a global jazz fusion party is the mood you seek,
's
will get you there. ~ Matt Collar