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Harvey Mason: Chameleon

By Jeff Winbush
May 14, 2014
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When you've been making music as long as Harvey Mason has as a solo artist and manning the drum chair for

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock,

George Benson

guitar
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">George Benson,

" data-original-title="" title="">Donald Byrd,and more artists than there is space here to list, you are not only pleasing longtime fans, you're making new converts as well. Some who might ask, "This guy's pretty good. Wonder what else he's done?"

Mason's answer is his first album in a decade, Chameleon and he both looks back at classic compositions "Mase" either wrote, co-wrote or played on while tapping top young talent to aid and abet his look forward while looking back at his varied past. Mason calls upon two of his colleagues from Hancock's Head Hunters band, bassist Paul Jackson and percussionist

Bill Summers

percussion
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Summers as well as new blood such as saxophonist Kamasi Washington and NEXT collective members, electric bassist

Ben Williams

bass, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Williams, trumpeter

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

trumpet
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, guitarist

Matthew Stevens

guitar
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Matthew Stevens and keyboardist

Kris Bowers

keyboards
b.1989

" data-original-title="" title="">Kris Bowers are among the stand-outs.

When it comes to jazz-funk, Mason was there at major moments in the genre and he knows his way around a groove without ever being showy and pretentious. Always more of a technically adept instead of a razzle-dazzle showman, Mason's approach to drumming is to remain present without being thunderously loud, amazingly fast or ostentatiously playing licks all over the place.

The hardest thing for an artist with a resume as long, varied and accomplished as Mason's is choosing which of his many musical stops to return to. "Black Frost" (Grover Washington,Jr), "Before the Dawn" (

Patrice Rushen

keyboards
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Patrice Rushen), "Montara" (

Bobby Hutcherson

vibraphone
1941 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Hutcherson) which features a rare turn on vibes by Mason and naturally, "Chameleon." While Hancock's synthesisers are missing here, the work of Bowers, Mark de Clive-Lowe, and Corey "C.K." King on keyboards and Fender Rhodes nicely capture the classic jazz-funk of that era.

The one misfire is "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" the only vocal track with Chris Turner doing nothing to make anyone forget to forget the

Quincy Jones

arranger
1933 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Quincy Jones original. That aside, Chameleon is Mason serving notice he is not a lion in winter, but still continues to make a joyful noise as a drummer, arranger and bandleader.

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Track Listing

Black Frost; Montara; If I Ever Lose This Heaven; Looking Back; Before the Dawn; Studio Life (Hold It One Second); Places and Spaces; Either Way; Mase's Theme; Chameleon; Looking Forward (Breaking Bad)

Personnel

Harvey Mason

drums

Harvey Mason: drums, vibes, percussion, synth, piano, synth bass; Kamasi Washington: tenor sax; Corey "CK" King: synths, trombones; Matthew Stevens: guitar; Kris Bowers: fender rhodes; Ben Williams: electric bass; Bill Summers: percussion, vocals, Hinda Hu whistle; Mark de Clive-Lowe: Fender Rhodes, synths; Chris Turner: vocals (3); Christian Scott: trumpet, Jimmy Haslip: electric bass (3, 10); Paul Jackson: electric bass (4, 15); Guillaume Perret: tenor sax, keyboards (15); John Beasley: piano solo (15)

Album information

Title: Chameleon | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

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