After a brief sojourn for Verve Forecast with 2011's
Contact,
Boney James returns home to Concord for
The Beat. Aptly titled, this is the recording where the composer and saxophonist weds his love for both R&B and Latin music, weaving them together in his trademark brand of contemporary jazz. Besides
James, the other star on this date is all-star percussionist
Lenny Castro, whose use of congas, timbales, bongos, and numerous other instruments adds dimension, flavor, and punch to most of these cuts. A cover of
Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," is the opener. It's played as a lithe bossa nova. Drummer Vinnie Colauita and
Castro exchange accents in all the right places as
James uses his soprano to glide through the melody. Another highlight is the cover of the
Sergio Mendes classic "Batacuda," with longtime friend and collaborator
Rick Braun lending his trumpet. In
James' arrangement, this is 21st century jazz funk with the two-horn frontline backed by Rob Bacon's stinging guitar,
Alex Al's bassline,
Tim Carmon's keyboard washes -- including a second bassline -- and keen interplay between punchy drummer
Omari Williams and
Castro.
Braun's solo is short but very tight. Soul crooner
Raheem DeVaughn appears on the slippery meld of old-school soul and laid-back funky jazz on "Maker of Love."
Natalie "The Floacist" Stewart offers her rhyming and signing skill to "They Midas (This Is Why)." It simmers with a sexy, nocturnal feel and illustrates modern club jazz at its best. "Sunset Boulevard" wanders into the jazz fields more, with lovely piano work from
Brandon Coleman and a low-end strutting bass by Dwayne "Smitty" Smith. "Powerhouse" melds Latin funk to fingerpopping contemporary jazz, while "You Can Count on Me" -- with one of
James' most memorable melodies in ages -- weds Brazilian MPB, languid R&B, and emotive smooth jazz, and sends it all out on a high note. His tenor playing here is wide open and sultry. While
The Beat is not as uptempo as its title might imply, it more than compensates with the layers of rhythms inherent in its tunes. There are no low points on the set, only grooves galore. ~ Thom Jurek