Cedar Walton: "Mobius"

Back from the edge of nowhere, veteran jazz keyboardist Cedar Walton delivers this set of space-jazz-funk, still with an electronic emphasis, yet nowhere near as metallic and dissonant as anything by Bayete.  Walton cultivates a superb melodic sensibility with his playing, while drummer Steve Gadd works magic with his skittering, subtle funk beats, laying the groundwork for Walton's own solos and those of his band, including Hendrixian guitarist Ryo Kawasaki and innovative tenor sax player/arranger Frank Foster.  This is a hidden gem, something I had no idea about but knew would be good by virtue of the musicians present, and for real, this shit hits hard.