Two is One

[[Release Detail]][[Release Description]]It seems that every major jazz artist has a one-off sort of record in their discography, be it with strings, voices, spoken word, or – as in this case – a foray into the funkier side of jazz. Charlie Rouse (going here as Charles Rouse) gets his chance on Two Is One, a funky soul-jazz excursion on Strata-East, the artist-run label where creativity and pushing boundaries were at the forefront. Playing mostly with a group of session musicians, Rouse put together an album that may stray a bit from his hard bop roots but is nonetheless an enjoyable and at times inventive record. The style of music played here – sophisticated soul jazz with some post-bop and spiritual jazz thrown in for good measure – is very much a product of its time. 1974 saw a whole slew of artists stretching the boundaries of what jazz music could be, combining elements from the past two decades into electric jazz adventures. The piano-less group that Rouse put together is a funk