No clearer indication of the trumpeter’s funky soul jazz inclinations can be found than the opener ‘H.N.I.C’, which is a quite shameless but irresistibly finger snapping version of The Isley Brothers’ ‘It’s Your Thing’. The mellow but thrusting syncopations of that track are practically a constant of a set that picks up neatly where previous offerings such as Down With It left off, with an added drive provided by the electric rhythm section in which Paul Humphrey’s drums and Wilton Felder’s bass guitar make for a rock solid combination. The latter is, of course, the link to The Crusaders, and their influence is discernible alongside that of both Willie Mitchell and Hugh Masekela on some of the pieces where percussive riffs and choppy horn scores are the order of the day. With crisp backbeats and wah-wah riffs aplenty, both of which sound particularly fresh in the breakdowns, it’s easy to see how music such as this would appeal to any hip-hop producer with a sharp ear.

Then again, the band cooks sweetly enough for the whole set to be appreciated as a worthwhile whole rather than a collection of parts waiting to be reassembled by a merry prankster from sampleadelica.