Vocalist Philip Bailey's high-flying falsetto made Earth, Wind & Fire an immortal supergroup. On this CD, he's backed by a streamlined combo featuring saxophonist Bob Belden, keyboardists Scott

Soul On Jazz

Vocalist Philip Bailey's high-flying falsetto made Earth, Wind & Fire an immortal supergroup. On this CD, he's backed by a streamlined combo featuring saxophonist Bob Belden, keyboardists Scott Kinsey and Myron McKinley, and remixer DJ Smash. Nine of the 11 tracks are updated classic jazz, pop, and R&B/fusion-tinged tunes, from Nat "King" Cole's "Nature Boy" to Freddie Hubbard's "On the Red Clay." Thelonious Monk's "Ruby My Dear" is revived as a quiet-storm ballad, "Dear Ruby." "My Indiscretions," Bailey's take on the funky, futuristic Weather Report jam, "Indiscretions," features catchy lyrics by the singer's son, Sir Bailey. Chick Corea's "Sometime Ago" is turned into a club-friendly dance number, while Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" is retouched with Afro-Latin tinges. The church-inspired EW&F hit, "Keep Your Head to the Sky," is rendered with hip-hop-styled rim shots. Philip Bailey's vocalisms show that Soul on Jazz does mix. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Soul On Jazz