Black Light Collective - Black Light Collective

2020

Dave McMurray is one of Detroit's great musical shapeshifters. Since the 1970s, his playing, writing, and producing have embraced the plethora of genres and sounds that drive the Motor City's musical engine. His aesthetic, though deeply grounded in jazz, soul, and R&B, engages techno, rock, blues, and funk. Whether he's working with Gladys Knight or the Rolling Stones, Was (Not Was) or Bob Dylan, KEM or Iggy Pop, the quality and commitment are the same. His recordings paint the spectrum with an earthy tone, emotional honesty, and compositional sophistication -- without artifice. McMurray's Black Light Collective is a multi-generational band comprised of trombonist Kenneth Gill, trumpeter Allen Dennard, upright bassist Ibrahim Jones, keyboardist/pianist Maurice O'Neal, drummer Jeff Canady, and vocalists Isis Damil and Malik Alston. Rounding out the lineup are guitarist Adell "Showboat" Shavers, djembe player Sowande Keita, and longtime collaborators in keyboardist/pianist Luis Resto, trumpeter Rayse Biggs, and percussionist Larry Fratangelo. AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek