Gerald Albright - Slam Dunk (2014)

With the release of Slam Dunk, Gerald Albright continues his reign supreme as the genre's most compelling and consistent artist. Fans will hear his searing and soulful sax lines on this twelve-track recording. And, they'll be in for a surprise, as Albright shows off his chops as a bassist, along with his ebullient tenor, baritone and soprano saxophone arrangements on his own compositions, and his super covers of classics by Phil Collins and James Brown, with special guest vocalist Peabo Bryson.

"This record is synonymous with my previous records, in that it has the direct influence of James Brown, the Philly International sound, and the Motown sound, Albright says. But what we wanted to do on this record was to take those instruments that are normally in the background bass, flute and horns and bring them up front. In terms of being a bassist, I was inspired by Louis Johnson [of the Brothers Johnson] back in college. A lot of people don t know that I play bass, flute and some of the other instruments...so we decided to make it - no pun intended - a slam dunk project, and bring all of those elements to the forefront."

Recorded in Denver, Colorado and Wallingford, Connecticut (hometown of co-producer/co-writer/keyboardist Chris "Big Dog" Davis), Albright is also supported on this CD by drummer Jerohn Garnett, guitarist Rick Watford, and his daughter, Selina Albright, on vocals.