In the time when jazz rock was in need of renewal and the term smooth jazz was nowhere to be found, there was fusion. A lot smoother and polished than the first genre, but much more imaginative than the second. One of the pioneers of the genre was keyboardist Jeff Lorber who achieved success with his Jeff Lorber Fusion from 1979, before starting a solo career from 1991 onwards. He Had A Hat starts
… with a portion of cringe-worthy false sentiment in the Anthem For A New America. Jeff Lorber shows that he has not yet recovered from the blow of 9/11 and believes he should express this with a composition in the style of Dave Grusin. Fortunately it stays with that, He Had A Hat also has a lot of good things to offer and alternates between funk, jazz and R&B. Ideal for the smooth jazz lover who wants to broaden his horizons. (AD)more
