Ahead to the Past

The founding members of Pieces of a Dream--keyboard player James K. Lloyd, drummer Curtis Harmon, and bassist Cedric Hamilton--began playing together as Philadelphia high-school students in the '70s. A few years later, with their first producer, the late Grover Washington Jr., they were blending laid-back improvisation and R&B grooves before the smooth-jazz genre existed. That long-standing identity as a band still distinguishes them, and this CD marks a deliberate invocation of their roots, including the tune "Philly High." Lloyd's gift for elegant lyricism stands out here, especially on the moody "Cry of the Lonely," while Eddie Baccus Jr. lends his romantic soprano sax to the tender "Took So Long" and "Love You for Life." Tracks with singers Maysa Leak and Calvin Richardson make the R&B roots of the band explicit, and there's some fresh Latin fire on "The Good Life." --Adam Rains