Nu Blaxploitation by Don Byron

21 Jul

Written by Reuben Jackson
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Given the masterful composing and arranging talents clarinetist-composer-arranger Byron has given us with both the tributes to Mickey Katz and infectious dates under his own name like "Tuskeegee Experiments" and this recently released tune, I should have known the ( dare I say it?) "fusion" of dope beats, incisive solos and top notch poetic contributions from longtime collaborator Sadiq and rapper Biz Markie would be a winner, and indeed it is. For whether one is happily mired in the aforementioned "Jam", the remakes of Mandrill classics like "Mango Meat", or the cutting text within "Dodi", one is clearly in classic album territory here. Won't you join me?