" data-original-title="" title="">Russell Scarbrough has an intriguing motto: "If it's not fun, we're not doing it right!" He also had an intriguing way of recording his debut album, Fun Times, to which an entire review could be devoted. Suffice to say that the individual parts were taped in isolation owing to the Covid pandemic and sent to Scarbrough for inclusion on the album, sometimes taking up to a year to complete. Scarbrough "could afford to be patient," he writes, "as [he] wasn't on a particular time line."

Once the data was received, Scarbrough loaded it into a digital audio workstation (DAW), over which he had complete control, and let the fun begin. While not everyone performs on every number, and group sizes vary from ten to fifteen, when listening one would swear that the players were together in a single studio. That's due for the most part to the exemplary musicianship, and to Scarbrough's ability to blend the ingredients, as his charts—he wrote everything—are by no means an easy read.

Speaking of those charts, Scarbrough has his own unique approach—more