British-born, Canada-raised saxophonist and EWI master Seamus Blake hosts a soul-jazz revival on this tribute to funky sax legend Eddie Harris. Blake focuses everything on electric, echo-plexed, funky soul-jazz. He’s surrounded himself with a killer band that includes electric bassist Tim Lefebvre, drummer Corey Fonville, and Hammond B-3 organist and pianist Sam Yahel. Vocalist Dawn Pemberton guests. The set was recorded in Vancouver and co-produced by Blake, Scott Morin, and Cellar Music boss Cory Weeds.
The set opens with Gene McDaniels’ “Compared to What,” passionately recorded in 1969 by Harris and Les McCann on Swiss Movement. Pemberton delivers the lyric with earthy grit as Lefebvre and Fonville back Yahel’s…