By Frank Alkyer | Published June 2025
There are so many reasons that trumpeter Theo Croker graces the June 2025 cover of DownBeat. For starters, he’s been steadily building a loyal fandom with his beautiful tone and creative mind — from 2019’s Star People Nation to 2021’s BLK2LIFE // A FUTURE PAST to 2022’s LOVE QUANTUM. His live shows are mesmerizing, danceable joyfests. Moreover, he does all of this while refusing to be boxed neatly into any specific musical genre, as deftly displayed by his latest release, Dream Manifest. Jazz? Yep. Soul? For days. Hip-hop? No doubt. R&B? Yes, siree. All of that and some trippy melodies and beats to glide over. The album, which brings together members of Croker’s past and current bands, has a true party feel. It’s a group that transcends generations, styles and art forms — Mike King, Eric Wheeler, Michael Shekwoaga Ode and Miguel Marcel Russell, plus guest artists McDole, Estelle, Kassa Overall, MAAD, Gary Bartz, Natureboy Flako, Malaya and multidisciplinary artist and creative director D’LEAU. Of special note is the tune “light as a feather,” featuring Croker and Bartz trading fours over a groovy track with production by Natureboy Flako. On “high vibrations,” arranged by Croker and D’LEAU, the club beat is infectious, with Malaya’s vocals heightening the vibe. With “crystal waterfalls,” Croker brings a slow groove that lets his trumpet breathe with a Miles Davis-like love for using space and time to shape the mood. It also gives the band a chance to shine: Michael King’s fingers float over the Fender Rhodes and piano, Eric Wheeler’s callouses slide just right over the bass strings and drummer Shekwoaga Ode demonstrates exquisite touch on the brushes. But right after that break, the crew dives back into booty-shaking mode with “we still wanna dance,” another club-worthy drop from Croker and D’LEAU. One last note: Dream Manifest begins with “prelude 3” and ends with “postlude 3,” two short moments of discovery by the band. No rush here, just a couple chances to sit back and enjoy the sound of these gifted artists and their instruments. How many times have we all heard that jazz used to be dance music? Theo Croker’s bringing it back to the floor. But it’s not your father’s jazz or your grandfather’s. His music is made for today … with an eye toward tomorrow. To read DownBeat’s cover feature on Croker, click HERE. To check out his performance of “up frequency” on the June 16 episode of the Kelly Clarkson Show, click HERE.
