As a model of consistency, keyboardist, composer and producer Jeff Lorber has made contemporary jazz records that are proficient and soul-satisfying over a four-and-a-half-decade stretch. The Drop (September 22, 2023, Shanachie Entertainment) is the 30th release by Lorber, whose first, 1977 album The Jeff Lorber Fusion came during the classic era of rock-jazz fusion and set the template for heady, tightly-arranged funk constructions that remain part and parcel to his music today.
Officially, the Jeff Lorber Fusion has for a number of years been Lorber, bassist/co-producer Jimmy Haslip and drummer Gary Novak. But The Drop continues the trend of adding studio aces who can meet Lorber’s high standards of musicianship, and they come from both old school (like bassist Cornelius Mims) and new school (like saxophonist Randal Clark). The tunes are particularly tight ‘n’ tidy for this collection, all running right around the four-minute mark, leaving no room for wasted notes.
For being such a technical savant, Lorber’s mission is anything but wonky: “I focus on making music that’s fun, exciting and fresh that I enjoy, and that I hope other people will feel uplifted and energized by when they listen to it.” And those good vibes charge right out the gate with the titular tune. “The Drop” eases along at mid-tempo but it bristles with funk, and Lorber’s unmistakable Rhodes and piano asides are as crisp and in the pocket as ever. Nonetheless, Lorber always takes care to construct memorable melodies, and “Altered State” is a nice folk-soul one where the lead line practically sings.
The keyboard wizard finds a like-minded sax foil in Clark for “New Mexico” and moreover adds the polished guitar talents of Snarky Puppy’s Mark Lettieri. Lettieri doubles up with Lorber for one of Lorber’s signature buoyant lead lines during “On The Bus” and his solo (actually two solos) shows he knows what goes well in a JLF song, and that’s probably why he appears on all but three of the ten tracks.
Even when the pace is slow, the groove is strong; “Hang Tight” has all the Lorber earmarks, even though he leads solely on acoustic piano and plays it with the same funky phrasing that he does on the Fender Rhodes. The same goes for the struttin’ “Liberty,” where he pairs up his piano with a Rhodes and lets Lettieri get in a few well-placed licks.
David Mann is a de facto member of JLF, as his snappy horn arrangements give heft to six of these tracks without weighing them down. He’s also on hand to bind Lorber’s piano with his flute on “Reception,” another device Lorber innovated back in the 70s.
“Tail Lights” ends the album with a lot of pep, a catchy strain that you’ll soon find yourself whistling to and the stylish lead guitar lines are provided this time by session player legend Paul Jackson, Jr.
Whether you call it fusion jazz, funk-jazz, contemporary jazz or smooth jazz, the Jeff Lorber Fusion delivers the goods and has always done so in its own way. Jeff Lorber shows no sign of running out of fuel, and for The Drop he’s putting everything into his craft today, just as he did some 30 albums ago.
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