By Frank Alkyer | Published October 2025
Ah, Gary Bartz, you smooth, sly devil! On Damage Control, his first recording as a leader in a dozen years, the master alto saxophonist transforms 10 r&b hits from decades ago into sweetly grooving, jazz-infused gems that will have you tapping you toes and smiling about that time when … . These are songs Bartz sings in the shower and around the house, songs that help him enjoy good times and get through bad times. And from his vantage point, they’re songs we could all use in these vexing, complex times. In DownBeat’s November issue cover feature on Bartz, he said he never feels safe in the United States, and “it’s getting worse.” And there’s the rub: These sweetly salty ear worms are meant as an aural balm for today’s challenges. It works. Whether blowing over Curtis Mayfield’s “The Making Of You” or singing DeBarge’s “Love Me In A Special Way,” this is Mr. Bartz, all heart and even more soul, with his NTU Troop, a group named after the Bantu, meaning unity of all things. He dives into some of the best known songs of all time, perhaps to show us all how much we have in common instead of what drives us apart. His vocals on Babyface’s “Slow Jam” are heartwarming. His incantation of “Music never lets me down” on Earth Wind & Fire’s “Fantasy” is warming. Recorded in a North Hollywood studio run by producer Om’mas Keith (Bartz’s Godson), the sessions became a party of jazz celebrity with the band including pianist Barney McAll and drummer Kassa Overall as well as guest spots turned in by Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Theo Croker, Keyon Harrold and Nile Rodgers, Spaceman Patterson and Shelley fka DRAM. The results deliver a mix that is beyond genre, and superbly satisfying to the ears.
