The Royal Potato Family

On each of his five previous solo records, Stanton Moore lets the listeners know what they are in for from the opening moment—namely, about an hour’s worth of heavy funk. On Conversations, Moore continues the tradition of opening-track exposition. However, instead of Charlie Hunter’s thumping 8-string or Robert Walter’s churning B3, “Lauren Z” opens with a swinging upright-bassline courtesy of James Singleton, and David Torkanowsky quickly joins with his sparse, percussive piano and an uncharacteristic downbeat-less entrance by the album’s star player. This is clearly a jazz outing, with nary an electric instrument to be found over the 11 tracks, and Moore frequently trading his sticks for brushes. That said, it’s also clearly a Stanton Moore record, full of second-line rhythms and New Orleans flavor. There’s a welcome familiarity in two previously recorded tunes, “Magnolia Triangle,” which significantly ups the swing on Flyin’ The Koop’s version, and a tamer take on “Tchefunkta” than its All Kooked Out counterpart, but overall, the record showcases Moore’s jazz inclinations in a way that feels fresh.