L.A. Nights (Darren Rahn Remix)

In the words of Phillip Doc Martin, “The pocket is the groove that is created when playing with a group of musicians. The better the individuals, the better the pocket. Pocket is only created when everyone in the ensemble is working as a cohesive unit. I love the feeling I get when I am in a great musical situation where everyone is listening to each other and we are creating good vibes. Now THAT is Pocket Love!” The 11-track collection puts Martin’s fresh horn melodies front and center, surrounded by the soulful harmonies and grooves fired up by some of his favorite South Florida based “cats” he’s known and worked with since he was an up and coming musician there. The bright and spirited atmosphere-rich soul ballad title track and a lush, seductive cover of the Grover Washington, Jr. classic “Just The Two of Us” feature the distinctive tones of Grammy winning guitarist and urban jazz star Paul Brown. Elsewhere, the percussive mid-tempo seduction “Club Life” features exciting horn doubling textures, old school key harmonies by Hemmings and trumpet and a flugelhorn solo by Marvin Winder. The moody and whimsical ballad “Black Shoebox” finds Martin soaring over an easy shuffling groove, while the spirited jam “Hip Today” blends the best of modern and old school sensibilities (Fender Rhodes flavor, jangling rhythm guitar) and includes a jazzy piano solo by producer Marvin Tony Hemmings. Other highlights include the mystical soul-jazz sheen and dark guitar strumming on “Groove Love” providing a foundation for Martin’s candlelit sax passion; the crunch-groove and wistful synth harmony driven “LA Nights”; the swaying, sensual funk ballad “Pardon Me”; and the high octane, brass-fired jam “REM Funk” (with Martin’s sax conversing joyfully with a snazzy horn section). The saxophonist closes Pocket Love with a thoughtful and hypnotic cover of John Legend’s #1 pop ballad “All of Me,” performed to perfection as a stripped down duet by Martin and Hemmings.