Slide Five - Rhode Trip & People, Places & Things (1996/1997)

{M. Conklin review} i have a tendency to like more music than i dislike, but i rarely gush over an album. this album is so damn great though, it's tough to talk about without getting a little emotional. slide five, just a piano (fender rhodes), guitar, and drums trio, lay down some of the best retro-sounding funky jazz i've ever heard. in fact, i was so blown away by rhode trip that i practically bought the entire ubiquity catalog after hearing it (ubiquity was much smaller then). on rhode trip, slide five rarely play as a trio - session saxophonist jacko peake is featured on most of the tracks and he sounds extremely comfortable, as if he were a part of the band from the get-go. the music has a warm and mellow groove to it, and while the solos are strong, the group seems just as interested in creating melodic choruses and fine backing melodies. after 100s of listens, i still love it. beginning to end, it's quite possibly the best modern jazz-funk recording available.

{allmusic} Like so many groups that started with the "acid jazz" sound, Slide Five moved into the electronic realm. This album mixes the live sound of the first album with electronics to create trance-like, danceable tracks. Some of the stand-out material here comes from a previously unreleased EP Flash, namely the gumption-filled track "Heavy Rotation." Dave Warrin's keys and Guy Gershoni's subtle percussion work on "11 O'Clock" would make Herbie Hancock proud, while smooth drum'n'bass tracks like "Inhaler" and the space jazz of "KC Doppler" keep the listener hooked.