As the grandson of the late trumpeter
Doc Cheatham
, and former student of legendary jazz trumpeter
Donald Byrd
, trumpeter
Theo Croker
is an artist steeped in jazz tradition. Well-versed in the swing, bop, and modal styles of acoustic jazz,
Croker
's own music reveals a love of organic funk, soul, and gooey, groove-oriented hip-hop. It's a vital amalgam that would have pleased the forward-thinking
Byrd
, whose own '70s funk-jazz albums are an obvious touchstone for
on his hypnotically enlightened 2016 effort
Escape Velocity
. He championed this sound on his 2014
Dee Dee Bridgewater
collaboration,
Afro Physicist
, and he pushes it to the limits on this follow-up. Taking the production reins from
Bridgewater
, who also appears here on the euphoric "Love from the Sun,"
has crafted a set of deeply spiritual, densely layered, yet beautifully uncluttered compositions that find him bringing his funky world view into sharply illuminated focus.
details his point of view on the spacy opener "Raise Your Vibrations," in which he delivers a spoken word poem saying, "Our divine earthly purpose is our own to fulfill." Helping to raise
's musical vibrations is his ensemble, a group he's played with for several years, featuring saxophonist
Anthony Ware
, keyboardist
Michael King
, guitarist
Ben Eunson
, bassist
Eric Wheeler
, and drummer
Kassa Overall
. Also adding color to the proceedings are guitarist
Femi Temowo
and saxophonist
Irwin Hall
. While
certainly divines inspiration from
's '70s albums, there's nothing retro about his own bass-and-drum-heavy sound. Cuts like the swirling "In Orbit" and the head-bobbing "This Could Be (For the Traveling Soul)," find
weaving in elements of shimmering electronica and subtle world music textures that feel more contemporary than old-school. Other tracks, like the soaring "Transcend" and the organ-driven "Changes," bring to mind no less than a feverish combination of the dramatically soulful '70s work of saxophonist
Gato Barbieri
and the brightly hued '90s acid-jazz of the
Brand New Heavies
's creative vision is a hybridized, cross-pollinated take on jazz, he remains at his core an exploratory improvisationalist. Cuts like the propulsive "Meditations" and the socially minded, Latin-tinged groover "We Can't Breathe" (inspired by the 2014 choking death of Eric Garner), are long enough to allow for some edge-pushing solos from
and his band. Ultimately, with
,
proves he's got deep ideas about life, spirituality, and how music connects us all. It's an ebullient, groove-conscious message perhaps best expressed on the bass-heavy "It's Gonna Be Alright." Trading the song's title phrase back and forth like old friends high-fiving on the street, you can hear
and his band smiling. ~ Matt Collar