Even for a Leeds, England-based group dedicated to keeping classic soul-jazz an ongoing proposition, Jazz Fest faves the New Mastersounds really emphasize their pure-soul bona fides. It’s a focus only made clearer by this release, a full-length collab with jam-band royalty Lamar Williams Jr., son of the Allmans’ dear departed bassist Lamar Sr.; together, they jettison a lot of the jamming, keep the song structures simple, and accentuate the redemptive quality of soul in their lyrics and general attitude. When they suggest “Let’s Go Back,” it’s not about saving a relationship or even revisiting “way back when” when soul was king. This is a universal call. “What about mediation? What happened to the middle ground?” Lamar pleads.

This is not to denigrate the Mastersounds’ considerable chops. It’s just that most of the group’s jazz coloration is half-hidden in the first-rate brass section and the soloing—new addition Joe Tatton’s long Hammond workout on “Layin’ Low” and his torrid faceoffs with the horns on “Live Life Free” would make Jimmy Smith proud. But the soul bleeds through every time, even on the helpfully titled instrumental “On The Up (SKA),” where the skank is light enough to allow Eddie Roberts to go full-on action jazz with his spooky, trembling leads. 

And as for that Fest residency, it’s fully earned; the rhythm section, anchored by Simon Allen’s kit, cuts a big swath of funk through all the soul-jazz noodling, nimble enough to go breakneck a la early solo Curtis Mayfield on “Livin ’Life” but also James Brown juking on the turnarounds, rigid enough for hip-hop on “Too Late to Worry” but able to immediately drop a perfect Meters rip with “Layin’Low.” Coolheaded enough for jazz, conscious enough for soul, and kinetic enough for any NOLA stage, the New Mastersounds are just that: neo-classique roots music for thinkers and dancers. See y’all at the House of Blues come May.