Hear & Now

Produced by Narada Michael Walden, the legendary avant-garde trumpeter attempts an unexpected foray into heavily arranged, commercially accessible jazz-funk and fusion. While retaining Cherry's signature global influences and idiosyncratic pocket trumpet playing, the tracks are driven by tight, slapping basslines, soaring synthesizers, and prominent electric guitars. The album proved highly polarizing among jazz purists but remains a fascinating, deeply groovy curio in his catalog.