Review: 1997's Slow Traffic to the Right found Bennie Maupin navigating between cerebral jazz and deep funk with style and ease. Though generally known for his abstract leanings and serious musical demeanour, here he showed a lighter side - not least because he is actually smiling on the album cover - while diving into grooves shaped by his time with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. With help from rhythm masters like Mike Clark and Paul Jackson, Maupin swaps out ECM austerity for signature Oakland bounce, so tracks like 'It Remains to Be Seen' and 'You Know the Deal' excel with newfound swagger without abandoning his jazz roots. It's a compelling pivot into accessible, funky and smart jazz soul.
Review: Strut present an exclusive collaboration between two jazz greats, multireedist Bennie Maupin and percussionist Adam Rudolph, on Symphonic Tone Poem For Brother Yusef, originally commissioned by the 2020 Angel City Jazz festival in Claremont. This long yet impressive album weaves across a sonic landscape in five movements, blending electronics, sax and voice and binding them all together via the deft use of intervals and improv. A strong and moving debut from the clear clarinetist and the percussive polymath.
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