Calvin Keys

★★★ Proceed With Caution! REAL GONE. CD/DL/LP

Cult mid-’70s jazz album rides again.

“Calvin Keys is an innovator destined for greatness!” proclaimed this album’s linernotes back in 1974, the writer seemingly oblivious to the curse that accompanies such hyperbolic statements. Indeed, Keys, a guitarist from Omaha, Nebraska, toiled as a sideman for many years afterwards, and although he continued to record LPs under his own name, never became the jazz superstar some predicted. Even so, there are slivers of brilliance in the spacey, fusionesque soundscapes on this, his second and final album for the Bay Area’s Black Jazz imprint. Surrounded by exceptional musicians – including future Weather Report drummer Leon ‘Ndugu’ Chancler, saxophonist Charles Owens and pianist Kirk Lightsey – Keys is adept at creating texture and atmosphere, especially on the gently soughing Tradewinds and hypnotic Renaissance. On the best cut, Aunt Lovey, he serves up a delectable funk groove.