All Things Deep - Reviews - Nathan Haines : Best Of Modern Jazz Fusion

Nathan Haines - Best Of Modern Jazz Fusion

Nathan Haines has been one of the most popular artists in the nu jazz genre dating back to his work with the Restless Soul collective. With an extensive catalog of hits to his name, it's no surprise someone saw fit to issue a compilation of highlights.

Most hits collections invariably omit a crucial number, but Best Of Modern Jazz Fusion truly delivers the goods, focusing strictly on the essential Haines numbers. Of course you'll find the massive dancers "O Misterio," "Right By Your Side," and "Earth Is The Place," which has to rate as one of the biggest jazz-funk tunes of recent memory.

Proper respect is given to the remixers who have played a crucial role in Haines' popularity. Appearing via their remixes are 4 Hero ("Long"), Kenny Dope ("Believe"), and Ashley Beedle ("Doot Dude").

Finally there are some numbers which I felt deserved wider recognition in "Wonderful Thing" and "Let It Go," respectively voiced by Vanessa Freeman and Rich Medina. And Haines' quirky cover of Steely Dan's "FM" is a treat.

Kudos to the Pioneer label for assembling an outstanding disc that will hopefully introduce more people to the great work of Nathan Haines.