Sweet Sister Funk

Ramon Morris’ lone Groove Merchant date remains one of the most potent fusion records of its time. An uncommonly soulful and nimble tenorman, Morris proves ideally matched to the jazz-funk idiom, and Sweet Sister Funk achieves a near-perfect balance between its mainstream and experimental leanings, forging a series of fierce grooves as imaginative as they are accessible. Recorded with a crack supporting unit including trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater and percussionist Tony Waters, the album radiates with positive energy — it’s a genuine shame Morris never again recorded as a leader, because the mind reels at the possibilities his muse might have pursued. – Jason Ankeny