Stefon Harris & Blackout: Sonic Creed

One of the most important, if not THE most important voice on the vibes today, Stefon Harris brings his Blackout band of James Francies/p-key, Joshua Crumbly/b, Terreon Gully/dr, Casey Benjamin/sax, Felix Peikli/cl-bcl and Mike Moreno/g and mixes and matches them with guests Jean Baylor.voc, Regina Carter/vi, Joseph Doubleday/mar, Daniel Frankhuizen/cel, Pedrito Martinez/perc and Elena Pinderhughes/fl for suave and intricate seasonings. The team does a hip Latinized take of the classic hard bopper “Dat Dere” and bounces to Pinderhughes’ flute on a soulful read of Horace Silver’s “Cape Verdean Blues.” Peikli’s bass clarinet is a plus here, adding rich depth to the marimba on the sleek mooded “Chasin’ Kendall” with Benjamin’s soprano adding to the elliptical spaces of “Throw it Away.” As for Harris, he gives a soulful Caribbean chime on “Song of Samson” and gets funky with Moreno on Wayne Shorter’s “Go.” The consistently forward moving pulsations make this a Saturday Night Cruise special.

www.motema.com