Dr. Dundiff is a producer from Louisville, Kentucky, best known for his collaborations with Otis Junior or Touch A.C., along with his work as a solo artist. Most recently, he gave us a solo/collaborative project called The Distance back in March of this year. Now he’s come back with a group project, SGJAZZ.

SGJAZZ is a neo-soul/jazz ensemble that Dr. Dundiff has assembled, with Dundiff himself on drums, percussion, and Rhodes, alongside Idris Frederick on Rhodes, Patrick Denny on bass and grand piano, Anthony Keenan on guitar, Noah Reed on alto/tenor sax and flute, and Reid Gross on trombone. The overall sound of the album is a hip hop-influenced soul/smooth jazz style of music. By this I mean that there are a lot of laid back grooves and really intricate and soulful melodic work on the album, but you can rest assured that the drums slap. The result is an album that sounds like the source material that someone like Dundiff would sample. The group has excellent chemistry together, with everyone getting their chance to shine, while ultimately performing as a cohesive unit that can guide you through all of these breezy soulful tunes. We do get a couple of guest spots, with J.Lamotta and K.Raydio hopping on the mic to lend their beautiful singing voices to the proceedings. Both sound great, but K.Raydio in particular really sounds at home with the ensemble, really feeling the lyrics and music and just lets the song flow through her to your ears.

SGJAZZ is an album for those listeners who can really appreciate the intricate jazz/soul stylings of an instrumental ensemble, enjoy the groove, and pick up on all of the top level musicianship being laid down here. It’s the type of album that will sneak up on you, but then it will continue to grow and move you.