Of the redone tracks, Lorber's group adds depth and dimension rather than just technological advances. "Horace," dedicated to Horace Silver - the man who put the "funk" in jazz in the first place and was a huge influence on Lorber's playing - is a fingerpopper from start to finish it's a true highlight. The title track is pure jazz-funk thanks to Marienthal's spiraling soprano, while Lorber's synth bassline gives Haslip room to move on the melody. "Singaraja" has a knotty, skittering vamp the guitars and keys entwine with fine arpeggios and beautiful horns by Marienthal and Brecker. Lorber's pianos - Rhodes and acoustic - meet Haslip's funky, slippery bassline, trading fours and solos. The three-guitar approach is a nice touch, as are Marienthal's overdubbed altos. "Big Brother" is more laid-back and concentrates on setting out groove and melody simultaneously, leaving more room to explore the harmonic implications. The melodic statement in "Live Wire," which opens the set, is underscored by vamps from synthed flutes, Lorber's Rhodes piano, and the symbiotic percussion of Colaiuta and Castro. It's funkier, with deeper grooves, yet it leans harder on jazz. The seven new tunes share space with four reimagined tracks from the earlier incarnation of JLF: "The Samba," Wizard Island," "The Underground," and "The City." Lorber thinks of Galaxy as part two of Now Is the Time, but it's much more than that. Galaxy features essentially the same group - alto saxophonist Eric Marienthal, Yellowjackets' bassist Jimmy Haslip, and percussionist Lenny Castro - with drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl, guitarists Michael Thompson, Anders Theander, Paul Jackson, Jr., and Larry Koonse, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and arranger Dave Mann. That said, the album sold well and earned a Grammy nomination. Its instrumental tracks were solid and satisfying, but the vocal cuts lacked, holding fast to Lorber's M.O. When Jeff Lorber reignited the Jeff Lorber Fusion in 2010 with Now Is the Time, he sought to re-examine the very music he'd helped to establish: contemporary jazz.
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