Grand Cross - Grand Cross (2014)

Sweet smooth fusion from the great David Matthews – that legendary talent that started out working with James Brown, then moved to CTI Records in the 70s, then kept going strong with fusion efforts like this one in the 80s! The style is a bit more polished than some of Matthews' earlier work, but still has all the right elements in place – and a great sense of production, given that the release was part of the excellent Electric Bird series from Japan. The lineup features lots of top-shelf players – including David Sanborn on alto, Michael Brecker on tenor, Randy Brecker on trumpet, and both Larry Carlton and John Tropea on guitars – and titles include the groover "Sambafrique", plus "Movin Man", "Grand Cross", and "Afro Sax".