The Jazz Tribe - Ray Mantilla & Bobby Watson - The Next Step

The Jazz Tribe take on just about every popular jazz style of the last half-century in this tasty album: blues, bop, Afro-Cuban, funk, and R&B. But rather than doling out a hodgepodge of genres, they blend these elements into a soulful, groovy, delicious paella. The sextet ends up sounding like a much larger band, with rich percussion textures laying an excellent ground for the blasting horns of Bobby Watson and Jack Walrath. And then there's Ray Mantilla's fine piano playing: at once rhythmic and melodic. It's a record that could drive a party, or just get you through a quiet evening at home. But it will move you.

-Review quote by Tim Sheridan