Known previously for his tenure behind
R&B
legend
Ray Charles
, trumpeter
Billy Brooks
proved himself an uncommonly skilled practitioner of
jazz-funk
with his solo debut
Windows of the Mind
.
"Forty Days"
(later sampled to potent effect by
A Tribe Called Quest
) remains a textbook example of the form, combining
Brooks
' sun-kissed lead performance with a jigsaw rhythm that's as persuasive as they come. The entire LP is a fecund source for killer breaks and samples, but simply dismantling this music for spare parts is a disservice to artist and listener alike --
is a gifted composer with a knack for melody as well as groove, and while
delivers on the physical promise of
funk
, it meets the intellectual demands of
jazz
as well. ~ Jason Ankeny