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The Mugician [LP]
Barnes and Noble
The Mugician [LP]
Current price: $9.99
Barnes and Noble
The Mugician [LP]
Current price: $9.99
Size: CD
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The sophomore album from
, 2017's ambitious, socially conscious
, finds the New York-based, Ferguson, Missouri-raised jazz trumpeter laying out an intensely felt, genre-bending vision of jazz in the 21st century. As the title somewhat cheekily implies,
is not simply a musician, but also a magician, or "mugician"; a notion evoked by director
when trying to describe the trumpeter's spellbinding work on the 2016
biopic Miles Ahead. Just as
broke down musical boundaries throughout his career,
works to bridge genre gaps here, crafting expansive, often cinematic soundscapes that are equal parts improvisational jazz, psychedelic hip-hop, ruminative R&B balladry, and pointed social critique. It's an approach one might expect from a musician who counts both post-bop trumpeter
and rapper
as major influences. Joining
on
are several longtime associates like guitarist
, saxophonist
, bassist
, drummer
, and others. There are also a handful of special guests, including acclaimed pianist
and vocalists
and
, all of whom commune on the atmospheric, '70s soul-infused "Wayfaring Traveler." Similarly, idiosyncratic R&B singer
helps the trumpeter evoke the woozy '90s trip-hop of
on "Stay This Way," and rapper
applies his acute wordplay to the sultry, minor-key grooves of "Her Beauty Through My Eyes." Also making notable contributions are singers
, actor/comedian
, reggae vocalist
, and more.
even makes room for a heartfelt, motivational voicemail from his mom that he frames with
's wide-screen orchestration. Along the way, he touches upon a bevy of timely, thoughtfully rendered topics from racism and bigotry to romantic fidelity and the environment. Throughout all of
,
lives up to the album's title, conjuring rounded, clarion trumpet lines, spinning off his collaborators one second, and commanding the spotlight the next with an alchemical swagger. ~ Matt Collar