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Musically, this material harkens back to the mid-'70s knotty funk, modal jazz, and the melodic invention of R&B are carefully balanced in a breezy, thoughtful, and spine-tingling presentation. The horn charts were expertly scripted by David Mann. There are also a couple of star guest appearances from Haslip's former Yellowjackets bandmates, tenorman Bob Mintzer and guitarist Robben Ford. and Michael Thompson, saxophonist Gary Meek, percussionist Lenny Castro, and a slew of drummers including Vinnie Colaiuta. The pair got help from their regular stable of sessionmen including guitarists Paul Jackson, Jr.
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Keyboardist Lorber and bassist Jimmy Haslip co-produced the 57-minute, 11-track set of originals. "Step It Up, the fourth offering from the revamped Jeff Lorber Fusion, picks up almost exactly where 2014's Grammy-nominated Hacienda left off - with a couple of twists. He has been successful as both solo artist and with his work in the Jeff Lorber Fusion, which employs the talents of bassist Jimmy Haslip as co-producer” (Punchland) “Jeff Lorber is one of those masters of the jazz field that has always found a way to have his fingers in many musical projects. “We also have a modern approach to this and we wanted to make sure that there would be strong elements of excitement and uplifting melodic motifs.” “We eventually put a list of original tunes together that we thought made a statement and had this modal thread running through it,” says Haslip. We came up with the idea of ’70s modal jazz.” Inspired by the classic recordings of such greats as Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Lee Morgan, Joe Henderson and Weather Report, Lorber and Haslip followed their collective muse, drawing conceptually from the influential output of those legends but filtering it all through their own sensibilities-several of the co-written tunes developed directly out of bass parts Haslip had created. “My compositions were a bit diverse and Jim suggested focusing more. “I’m always writing new stuff and I got together with Jimmy to play him some of the music I was working on,” says Lorber. But as they began working on what ultimately became Step It Up, Lorber and Haslip realized they were heading to some new places in their music. Prior to Step It Up and Hacienda, Jeff Lorber Fusion released Now Is the Time (2010) and Galaxy (2012), both also via Heads Up. The original Jeff Lorber Fusion took an extended hiatus in the early ’80s, reemerging and recharging in 2010 with an updated approach that incorporates contemporary rhythms, technology and instrumentation. and Europe.Īs on all past Jeff Lorber Fusion releases, dating back to its 1977 self-titled debut, Step It Up effortlessly mines and merges elements from multiple genres, including jazz, funk, rock and R&B. The album was recorded primarily at JHL Sound in Pacific Palisades, California, with additional recording done at other studios in the U.S. David Mann provides horn arrangements and Lenny Castro percussion. Also lending a hand are drummers Ash Soan, Gary Novak and Vinnie Colaiuta saxophonist Gary Meek and guitarists Michael Thompson and Paul Jackson Jr. Step It Up is more inside the Jeff Lorber Fusion box but has some new and interesting twists.”Īssisting the pair in creating those twists is a team of world-class musicians, including two former bandmates of Haslip’s in the award-winning fusion band Yellowjackets: saxophonist Bob Mintzer and guitarist Robben Ford. “That one was a full-on experimental recording. “We were motivated to find a new direction following Hacienda,” adds Haslip. This record puts us back in a more familiar Jeff Lorber Fusion groove while we explore some new uncharted areas.” The title Step It Up, says Lorber, “reflects the music: optimistic, energetic and an attempt to ‘step up’ our game-our compositions, production and improvisation-to the next level. The longtime colleagues also co-produced the recording.
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The fourth consecutive collaboration between GRAMMY®-nominated keyboardist/composer/producer Jeff Lorber and GRAMMY®-winning bassist/composer/ producer Jimmy Haslip since the two virtuosos reactivated Jeff Lorber Fusion five years ago, Step It Up features 11 new Lorber compositions, several co-written with Haslip. Jeff Lorber Fusion, whose previous release Hacienda was praised for its “impeccable musicianship and deep grooves” by JazzTimes and its “funky, rollicking jams” by All About Jazz, returns on September 25, 2015, with Step It Up on Heads Up, a division of Concord Music Group.