Cornelius Bumpus' lifelong pursuit of the saxophone and his eagerness for diversity has found him sharing worldwide stages and studio time with some of the greatest names in pop/rock history --
the Doobie Brothers,
Steely Dan, and
Boz Scaggs -- as well as top names in jazz fusion (
Jeff Lorber) and country music. While he made a few solo albums when the Doobies broke up in the early '80s, his Palmetto Records debut
Known Fact marks his first splash into the world of smooth jazz. What he lacks in overall originality -- his graceful soprano and occasionally muscular tenor styles fits perfectly alongside many younger players -- he makes up for with some spirited genre-hopping. It must have been hard to resist including a Doobies tune, but his "Takin' It to the Streets" is pretty straightforward and doesn't venture from what listeners already know (though it's certainly fun to hear). He has better luck with the original samba "Abundare," where he raises a percussive flute melody over a wash of soundscaping, whistleblowing, and an aggressively rolling bass groove, stopping on occasion to make emphatic points with percussionist Gilad. His choice and arrangement of the
Steely Dan tune "Chain Lightning" is creative, too; it's a hypnotic, slow blues simmer featuring
Bumpus' richest tenor work amid a bed of Aries' punchy organ harmonies and solo. ~ Jonathan Widran