New Direction
Gene Russell
Jazz-FunkRussell's piano work here is understated almost to a fault, but that's what lets the rhythm section breathe. This is the record that launched Black Jazz as a label, and you can hear the mission statement in every bar — jazz-funk with a message, not just a groove. "Whole Lotta Love" flips the Zeppelin riff into something completely its own. Slept on because Black Jazz never had major distribution.
