There's been an awful lot of snooze-worthy muzak generated in the name of nu-jazz, a post jazz-funk/fusion genre deeply in hock to classic '70s work by Airto Moreira, Flora Purim (both of whom guest here), Deodato, Lonnie Liston Smith, George Duke and others, often with a smooth electronic sheen. Intuit wins by generating real organic warmth, and through some stellar guest spots. Heady nine-minute opener "Crianca Das Ondas" puts Airto and Flora to good use, and also tips its hat to Talking Book-era Stevie Wonder. Underused and under-sung jazz legend Andy Bey gilds "Western Sunrise" and "Planet Birth" with his deliciously burnished bass?a voice that owes as much to gospel as to jazz; "A New Beginning" is like Rotary Connection for the 21st century. Much the best record in this field for a long, long time.
There’s been an awful lot of snooze-worthy muzak generated in the name of nu-jazz, a post jazz-funk/fusion genre deeply in hock to classic ’70s work by Airto Moreira, Flora Purim (both of whom guest here), Deodato, Lonnie Liston Smith, George Duke and others, often with a smooth electronic sheen. Intuit wins by generating real organic warmth, and through some stellar guest spots. Heady nine-minute opener “Crianca Das Ondas” puts Airto and Flora to good use, and also tips its hat to Talking Book-era Stevie Wonder. Underused and under-sung jazz legend Andy Bey gilds “Western Sunrise” and “Planet Birth” with his deliciously burnished bass?a voice that owes as much to gospel as to jazz; “A New Beginning” is like Rotary Connection for the 21st century. Much the best record in this field for a long, long time.
