Search - Gene Dunlap :: Tales of the Phatman

Best known for his drumming on collaborations with guitarist and fellow Detroit native Earl Klugh, Gene Dunlap has moved beyond his drum kit to become a respected writer, producer, arranger, and composer. His 1994 release Groove with You caught on with the smooth-jazz format, hinting that he'd become a regular solo artist. Six years later, Tales of the Phatman opens with "Things That Go Phunk in the Night," with its funky bounce, a slick Perry Hughes electric-guitar melody, and rising horn accents by trumpeter Rayse Biggs and alto saxman Ray Manzerole. "Lay Your Troubles Down" is more spiritual minded but similarly buoyant, combining a thick hip-hop/bass groove (machine generated, though you'd never guess it) with a cool, Latin-percussion pattern that contrasts with Hughes's laid-back guitar melody. Dunlap brings to mind his 1970s fusion roots with "Last Night, Night Before," which artfully mixes a hip-hop bottom, Charles Wilson III's playful, retro-flavored Rhodes harmonies, and a blend of Manzerole's alto sax and Biggs's muted trumpet. Dunlap and the gang invoke the spirit of Miles Davis on a moody, hypnotic cover of Janet Jackson's "Got 'til It's Gone," with Biggs floating his horn over a light shuffle groove. It's odd that Dunlap, legendary for his drumming, offers no live percussion on Tales. It would be a bit phatter with more organic touches. --Jonathan Widran