The New Breed
The New Breed has the loose movement of a jazz group and the concentrated rhythms of a carefully made beat. Jeff Parker lets those approaches run together. Samples and older recordings provide starting points for new ensemble playing, without making the music sound like a collection of separate building blocks. His guitar remains recognisable among the layers.
On Executive Life, firm bass supports a rhythm with a deliberately uneven feel. The melody moves easily above it. That relationship matters: the foundation can repeat while the musicians around it keep changing. Parker finds space inside repetition.
Here Comes Ezra has a clearer electronic tick, with guitar calmly following its own route. When the piece opens up towards its ending, it feels like an expansion of the same idea. Jrifted is relaxed without standing still. Reeds and guitar keep its atmosphere warm, while the rhythm takes another shape near the end.
The music does not constantly advertise how carefully it has been assembled. Parker plays clearly and with restraint; bass, drums and reeds matter just as much to the overall sound. The short running time helps hold the pieces together, although listeners seeking extended, freely developed solos will find less of that here.
Closer Cliche features Ruby Parker's singing. Her voice gives the album a more immediate human centre without interrupting its calm tone. It is a fitting conclusion to this approach. The New Breed uses modern tools to make music that stays close: rhythmic, melodic and adventurous in its details. You can enjoy its movement straight away, then keep discovering how the individual parts respond to one another.
