Groove Collective - Groove Collective (1994)

In the mid-'90s there have been many attempts to combine jazz with dance music in hopes of making creative music more accessible to younger listeners. Most of these projects have flopped due to the jazz being watered down but this effort from the ten-piece Groove Collective is one of the more successful hybirds. Not counting a pair of juvenile raps, the music is strong from the jazz standpoint and the funky rhythms are generally infectious, resulting in a set of intelligent jazz-oriented dance music. -- Scott Yanow