Idris Muhammad - Power of Soul [White Holland Import]

Power of Soul is the record where Idris Muhammad's deep-pocket drumming met the polished Kudu sound, here on limited white 180 gram vinyl as a Holland import.

Born in New Orleans, Muhammad had already backed soul and jazz greats before cutting this 1974 set at Van Gelder Studio for Creed Taylor's label. Taylor surrounded him with a formidable band: Grover Washington Jr. on saxophones, Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, guitarist Joe Beck, bassist Gary King, percussionist Ralph MacDonald and Bob James, who arranged and conducted the whole session.

Four long tracks give the groove room to unfold. The title cut reworks a Jimi Hendrix song into a lean jazz-funk groove, while Bob James's "Piece of Mind" stretches out across more than nine minutes of Rhodes shimmer and patient tension.

Joe Beck's "The Saddest Thing" brings a more reflective mood, and Grover Washington Jr.'s "Loran's Dance" closes the album with more than ten minutes of gently floating, sun-warmed melody.

Through it all, Muhammad never overplays. He sits in the middle of everything, steering the band with a feel that blends New Orleans swing and big-city funk in equal measure. It's an essential chapter of the 1970s jazz-funk story, and a reminder that the greatest drummers often lead by listening.