Step It Up, the fourth offering from the revamped Jeff Lorber Fusion, picks up almost exactly where 2014's Grammy-nominated
Hacienda left off -- with a couple of twists. Keyboardist
Lorber and bassist
Jimmy Haslip co-produced the 57-minute, 11-track set of originals. The pair got help from their regular stable of sessionmen including guitarists
Paul Jackson, Jr. and Michael Thompson, saxophonist
Gary Meek, percussionist
Lenny Castro, and a slew of drummers including
Vinnie Colaiuta. There are also a couple of star guest appearances from
Haslip's former
Yellowjackets bandmates, tenorman
Bob Mintzer and guitarist
Robben Ford. The horn charts were expertly scripted by David Mann. Musically, this material harkens back to the mid-'70s; knotty funk, modal jazz, and the melodic invention of R&B are carefully balanced in a breezy, thoughtful, and spine-tingling presentation. "Mustang," one of two pre-release singles, comes right out of
Grover Washington, Jr.'s
Feels So Good/
Mr. Magic period, with a very similar keyboard vamp and contrasting harmonic interludes in the bridge.
Colaiuta's kit and
Castro's congas create a hypnotic center around the melody before
Mintzer's meaty tenor break turns left of center. "Arecibo," the first of two tracks to feature
Ford on lead guitar, is feel- good jazz-funk. The interplay between keyboard tones, melodies, and chunky rhythmic vamps contrast beautifully with the guitarist's deep blues fills and solo.
Ford and
Mintzer also feature on "Soul Party," the other single. Mann's horn chart has a wider color palette thanks to
Haslip's bassline presence. The tenor,
Lorber, and the guitarist dialogue in a series of finger-popping cadences, taut funk breaks, and fleet solo moments. Everything in the mix comes back to swinging, meaty, in-the-pocket R&B. As smooth as
Galaxy and substantial as
Hacienda, this set offers the best of both albums but goes further in its imaginative lyricism and charts. The groove quotient on
Step It Up is exceptionally high, refracted through the prism of focused, precise compositions. ~ Thom Jurek