Alphonse Mouzon - Virtue - 1976

A funky fusion classic from superdrummer Alphonse Mouzon -- a rare date as a leader for MPS, and a set that rivals his best 70s grooves on Blue Note! The album's got a slightly more electric feel than some of Mouzon's previous work, but it's still far from the smoother soul of the 80s -- thanks to a sharp-edged lineup that includes Gary Bartz on soprano and alto sax and Stu Goldberg on keyboards -- both players who bring a nice sense of depth to the set! Some of the best cuts are actually the most laidback -- somewhat spacey grooves that spin out beautifully, and which are then offset nicely by the choppier fusion cuts on the set. Titles include the massive break cut "Poobli" -- an electric bit of MPS that we never tire of -- and other tracks include "The Mouzon Drum Suite", "Virtue", "Master Funk", "Nyctophobia", and "Baker's Daughter".