In the liner notes, alto trombonist Michael Lake states “It’s not bebop with the traditional piano, bass drums, but is that necessarily where jazz ends?” This album serves as the answer, as he brings together various electronics to create a myriad of musical environments for his warm trombone’s solos and statements.
Smooth grooves and background work on”Ratlesnake Funky” and Eddie Jefferson’s “Moody’s Mood For Love’ has a hip plugged in bass line for Lake’s sliding ‘bone. Soulful backbeat and strings are electronically supportive on “Artificial Intelligence” whyle synthesized vocals give background on “The Treasures of Your Life’ and female foreground along with piano musing on the evocative “ Sound Dunes.” Sometimes smooth, sleek and almost always swinging, this guy gives a good argument for a new way to think of “fusion.”