Gary Bartz & NTU: Damage Control

After a 12-year break from the recording studio, legendary saxophonist Gary Bartz makes a powerful return with Damage Control. This deeply personal passion project honors and re-imagines the soul genre. The album showcases Bartz's unwavering curiosity and artistic evolution, transforming soulful classics into meditative, jazz-infused compositions that cross genre boundaries. At the heart of the album's unity is Bartz's core trio, featuring pianist Barney McAll and drummer Kassa Overall. This trio is often joined by a lineup of exceptional musicians whose contributions elevate the session beyond expectations, including tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington, alto saxophonist Terrace Martin, trumpeter Theo Croker, and guitarist Nile Rodgers. The 10 tracks, drawn from the repertoires of artists like Curtis Mayfield, Anita Baker, Patti Labelle, DeBarge, and McCoy Tyner, are approached not just as covers but as springboards for improvisation.

"Fantasy" opens the album with shimmering textures from McAll's keyboard work, while Bartz's fluid alto adds a soulful echo to the arrangement. "One Hundred Ways" is performed with a purposeful groove as the enhanced rhythm section weaves rich counter-lines around Bartz's searching phrasing. The McCoy Tyner suite, "In Search Of My Heart-Love Surrounds Us," is an exploratory piece featuring Washington, Martin, Rodgers, and Bartz. As the harmonies are stretched over the number's framework, the tempo heightens the feel-good vibe that surrounds the piece. Curtis Mayfield's composition "The Makings Of You" is a song Bartz had long wanted to record, but that effort never materialized until now. Performed at a meditative pace, Bartz's solo is patient and hymn-like. When he incorporates vocals, his voice floats like incense over the proceedings.

"Slow Jam" was an '80s hit for the band Midnight Star. Built around a slow groove about love on the dance floor, the vocal is delivered by Shelly fka DRAM as a tender serenade, with Bartz's alto weaving in and out of the melody. "Biggest Part Of Me" was a big hit for the group Ambrosia and was written by member David Pack. This Yacht Rock classic is enriched by improvisations from Bartz and Croker over the background vocals of Rita Satch and McAll, resulting in a soulful reinterpretation. A DeBarge original, "Love Me in a Special Way," closes the album on a deeply reflective note. Bartz's opening solo carries a melancholic tone as it transitions into vocals by Daniel Merriweather and Rita Satch, who join voices in soft harmonies. Overall, the album is imbued with deep emotion and subtle virtuosity, striking a balance between innovation and tradition in equal measure.