To jazz fans Mason is the man who held the masterful groove for Herbie Hancock; to ‘soul boys’ he is the man who created the dancefloor classic ‘Groovin’ You’; and to the house generation he is the source of the blessed sample on which several anthems were built. All of which makes his status pretty clear, and this well curated 2CD collection is worth investigation because of the lesson it provides on how some artists who had the opportunity to play improvised music at a high level, as with Herbie, were able to transfer their skills to a populist arena without losing their integrity. If one thing stands out on any number of songs – ‘Groovin’ You’, ‘Til You Take My Love’, ‘Funk In A Mason Jar’ – it is how well written and arranged they are. Introductions; interludes; breakdowns; layers of horns and strings: there is a harmonic and orchestral richness to this material that resonates powerfully with the patented innovators of 1970s black popular music – Marvin, P-Funk, Sly, Donny and Stevie, not to mention modern stars like Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin and Chris Dave. When placed in this particular context Mason’s work is hard to dismiss as disco jazz or lightweight fusion.