Surrounding himself with a world-class ensemble of disco-jazz-fusion musicians and armed with the
Mizell brothers at the production console (who were near the peak of their careers around this time),
Gary Bartz took the route of
Donald Byrd and brought new elements of funk, soul, and a foreshadowing of the soon-to-be-commercial disco craze all into a 40-minute workout on
Music Is My Sanctuary. While purists shook their heads in disapproval and disdain at
Bartz's new direction (one emulated by several jazz pioneers at the time), those who could take off their traditional jazz mufflers would find
Bartz and
the Mizells making some highly infectious, soulful music. Further accentuated by the addition of
Syreeta Wright on vocals,
the Mizells took
Bartz into nearly uncharted territories for jazz musicians. The results of this experimentation more than paid off, with the dividends being
Bartz's most polished, focused releases. ~ Rob Theakston