Darryl Reeves: Mercury

A few weeks ago I got hipped to a piece of music called The Dillaquarium Mixtape by saxophone player Darryl Reeves. If you have not downloaded this piece of genius, point and click your mose to the previously highlighted link, download, and then play loud. It’s a damn near perfect tribute to Dilla. Look for a track on an upcoming FMF mix for sure. This tribute led me to dig a bit deeper on Darryl Reeves, a truly talented musician. His latest effort on Epic Life Music Group, Mercury is featured today.

Repping Atlanta, GA Reeves is known for his genre bending music, combining the elements of Hip Hop, R & B, Funk and Soul, along with a foundation of Jazz to round out his solid sound. With a Masters in Music from Jackson State in New Orleans, Reeves released the acclaimed 2004 record Diary of a Bandstand and has been killing it ever since. Here it is some 8 plus years later and his affiliations with such notables as Roy Ayers, The O’Jays, Frank McComb, Angie Stone, Kirk Whalum, Jill Scott, Phonte, Toku, Janelle Monae, Young Jeezy, B.O.B. and T-Pain along with his music and production being championed by the likes of Questlove, has him still raising eyebrows. During this hiatus Darryl Reeves formed a new band that features keyboardist Kenny Banks, Jr., bassist Joel Powell, and drummer Kenton Bostick who are responsible for this special record. This quartet, alongside guests that include Valencia Robinson, Carmen Rodgers, Gwen Bunn, Rasheeda Ali, LotusLove, Kebbi Williams, D-Focis, & Dashill “SunnovahKind” Smith are the ingredients in this funky and spaced out jazzy stew. Fusing Hip Hop, Jazz and Funk, Mercury flows smoothly and touches all the bases that we love here at FMF. Kenton Bostick kills it on the drums and Kenny Banks, Jr.’s keyboard prowess mixed with Powell’s deep bass and the versatile sax of Reeves propels this rocket ship of music to the outer regions of new music. I hear Gary Bartz, I hear D’Angelo’s Voodoo-esque tour backing band, I hear some Paul Humphrey-ish drum beats, I hear Headhunters keys….in other words, Darryl Reeves and his band are on point and tight as hell. You need this in your life. Preview the entire record below.