Harvey Mason

Harvey's fifth and final album for Arista - another win for the funk-soul-fusion MVP! Given that Harvey worked on some of the best fusion sessions of the 70s, it's more than safe to give him "most valuable player" award - because without his drums, many a record would have faltered! Here, though, Mason's much more in his all-out soul mode - singing, playing, and producing in a smooth blend of jazz and modern soul, still with some funky grit in the mix. It not only benefits greatly from his years as one of the great studio players, but even more so for his triple threat talent as a writer, producer and performer.

Harvey Mason's 2014 effort, Chameleon, is an expansive and funky album that finds the journeyman jazz drummer exploring the space between the '70s post-bop/fusion albums that marked his early career and the contemporary smooth jazz work that has defined the latter half of his career. Having started out playing with the masterful pianist Erroll Garner, Mason eventually join Herbie Hancock's legendary Headhunters ensemble, with whom he recorded the original version of this album's title track. And while he went on to a successful career working with a bevy of artists including Lee Ritenour, George Benson, and others, it is primarily his work with Hancock that is Mason's focus here.

Buddha's Sho Nuff Groove: The Best of Harvey Mason is an excellent 12-track compilation, featuring all of the fusion musician's biggest crossover smooth jazz and lite funk hits, including "Marching on the Street," "Set It Free," "Till You Take My Love," "What's Going On," "Liquid," "Don't Doubt My Lovin'," "How Does It Feel," and the 12-inch mix of "Groovin' You." This doesn't give a full picture of his talents as a sideman and producer, but it is a concise chronicle of his solo recordings and a welcome addition to his catalog.

Every time Harvey Mason decides to record a new album he calls on a few old favours and boy it still amazes me who the Mason gang comprises of. The above looks like a ' who's who ' of the fusion jazz music industry. The musicians who didn't appear were probably on tour or on a holiday on the moon. Joining Harvey on this album too are family members Harvey Junior and Heather, who like the maestro himself, are wonderfully gifted all round musicians.

Easily the greatest album ever by funky drummer Harvey Mason – and quite possibly the only one to live up to the rhythmic complexity that Mason brought to countless other fusion sessions for other groups in the 70s! The tracks are all spacious and snapping with brilliantly funky touches – a sound that resonates with Mason's contributions to Johnny Hammond's Gears album, but which comes off slightly differently here, thanks to a stronger focus on the drums. Keyboards are still a prime element of the set – played here by Herbie Hancock, Dave Grusin, and Jerry Peters – the latter 2 of whom helped out on arrangements for the record – and other players include an all-star lineup of 70s jazz funk legends such as Blue Mitchell, Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson, Hubert Laws, and others.

Two CD collection. Atlantic City's Harvey Mason needs no introduction to fans of '70s jazz-fusion having provided his exceptional drumming talents as a sideman for a plethora of the genres greatest artists and albums. Captivated by music and song from an early age Mason graduated from New England Conservatory with a rich and varied musical palette and as a multi-instrumentalist. The opportunity to play percussion alongside and under some of the greats of the jazz era on prime-time network TV inevitably led to Mason being in high demand given the breadth of his experience. The list of high caliber jazz, soul and pop artists that benefited from his skills is staggering. Stepping forward as a band leader in his own right in 1975, Mason went on to record his first five (self-produced) solo albums for Arista Records over a six-year period, recruiting the cream of the jazz-fusion scene to sing and play alongside him.

Harvey Mason certainly has a lot of talented and famous friends, and, fortunately for jazz fans, he called on them when he was making this 2004 album.Mason is primarily known as a session player for smooth-jazz dates, but this set comprises hard-bop jams and low-key, post-bop explorations.He shuffles his guests around in different trio configurations, allowing each to take a turn in the spotlight.