Perspective

For many, the electric jazz scene of the late '70s was a tired thing, steeped equally in fusion and disco. That was the common feeling at the time, though many groups like were enjoying massive commercial success. In the 21st century, the conventional wisdom is being turned on its head by many of the beat collectors and younger jazz listeners encountering some of music of the era for the first time. Saxophonist 's is an excellent case in point. Released in 1979 on , this set features the great tenor saxophonist in an electric setting with some killer sidemen including guitarist , bassist , pianist , drummer , percussionists , and . Guest players include the great Japanese pianist , guitarist , and drummer , to mention a few. These seven tracks are united by one thing: the enormous sound of -meets- -influenced tone on tenor. While the record kicks off on the easy side of jazz-funk with it contains some knotty acoustic piano from and some tastefully elegant playing by . 's stating of the theme is economical but emotive. The Latin groove that commences in the bridge is a surprise and moves the cut through his boisterous solo. is on the edgier side of jazz-funk with a great breakbeat drum intro by , who also does an impressive bit of counterpoint on the bongos. The fat guitars play call and response with , who gets up into the high register on the horn and lets loose against the simple riff. There are touches of fusion, but it never leaves the realm of jazz-funk entirely. Beautiful Fender Rhodes work by adds rich color and texture, not to mention 's killer, popping bass work. features on acoustic piano, and this tune is pure, languid, gorgeous, communicative jazz with an excellent rapport in terms of lyricism between the pianist and . The set closes with the Eastern-cum-Latin-tinged with on guitars, creating a wide palette of chord forms for to solo off of, eight bars from the intro. is uncanny here on his bass, inventive and rhythmically guiding the entire band. The adrenaline-fueled breaks by as he double times and are among the toughest of his long career. Ultimately, this set more closely resembles the work did with than it does his later excellent dates, but this set has stood the test of time remarkably well; its reissue on in 2009 goes one step further in putting down the myth that electric jazz in the late '70s almost killed the music off in the days before took it retro. ~ Thom Jurek