Theo Croker - Escape Velocity (2016)

Trumpet player Theo Croker’s new album, Escape Velocity, arrives unchecked and un-filtered. It doesn't attempt to fit a single specific musical category, but draws upon the first principle of jazz: to merge and interpret history, styles and ideas and create a unique sound. Escape Velocity, due May 6th, and featuring his band DVRK FUNK (pronounced DARK FUNK) is Croker’s second album since returning from China where he lived and worked for nearly a decade.

DVRK FUNK includes Anthony Ware on tenor saxophone and flute, pianist Michael King, bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Kassa Overall. Saxophone player Irwin Hall also plays on the album. Of the group’s name Croker explains: “Darkness has been labelled as a negative thing but the outer reaches of space are dark. Where life starts is dark. Dark is an endless possibility, infinite and unknown. That’s what we’re about.”


It is clear from the opening notes of songs like “Raise Your Vibrations” that this is Croker’s world. The glistening glow of keyboards and cymbals float around him as he establishes the band’s intentions from mission control. “It’s a summons for the listeners to open up their minds and to let them vibrate for the rest of the album.”

Songs on the album range from spiritual to upbeat, and are sometimes invested with a commitment to with current events. For example: “We Can’t Breathe,” Croker observes, “That’s about Eric Garner. That’s about Trayvon. That’s about reflecting everything that is going on in the world, but ‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’ is the response to that. No matter what we deal with, remember it’s going to be alright.” An anthem of succinct horn lines and joyous vocals, Croker’s message carries notes of both optimism and melancholy.

Tracklist:

01. Raise Your Vibrations
02. Transcend
03. This Could Be
04. In Orbit
05. No Escape from Bliss
06. The Right Time
07. A Call to the Ancestors
08. Meditations
09. We Can't Breathe
10. It's Gonna Be Alright
11. Because of You
12. Real Episode
13. Love from the Sun (feat. Dee Dee Bridgewater)
14. Changes
15. Rahspect (Amen)