Manteca - The Offspring Project (2023) [Hi-Res]

Over the past four decades this nine-piece global-jazz artists collective has become a family, one of profound respect and enduring friendships. The offspring of Manteca’s musicians have grown up in this musical family... backstage, proudly wearing their “All Access” passes, raiding candy at the craft table, sound asleep on the studio couch while a mix played back at ear-blistering levels, or starry-eyed when the tour bus came to fetch Mom or Dad. In some cases, their parents had left the band long before they were born and they had only heard tales of Manteca’s exploits on the road, and likely not as bedtime stories!

Eleven offspring of current or former members have followed in their parent’s footsteps, becoming professional musicians and composers who have achieved remarkable success in their own right. Surely, the elders have influenced the youngers, and now, with The Offspring Project, the youngers make their mark, writing six of the twelve compositions on this disc, in addition to playing on the entire recording.

This instinctive, intergenerational musicality is unique, perceptible and marks an exuberant exchange between the generations.