JFHP-5 Generations Oakland-based True Vibe Records has launched its music to greater heights with the release of its new album titled JFHP-5 Generations. As the titled suggests, this project features a diverse collective of San Francisco Bay Area conscious hip hop and spoken word artists, vocalists, and musicians who range in age from their 20s to 70s-bridging the generation gap. According to TVR producer/ owner Bill Jackson, this marks the fifth in a series of albums pioneering a musical genre called Jazz Funk Hip HoPoetry, a term coined by Bay Area poet/ spoken word legend Paradise (AKA Richard Moore). On this album, you can hear the influence of Mos Def, Brand New Heavies, Gil Scott-Heron, Eryka Badu, Carlos Santana, and Charles Brown, to name a few. This ambitious project showcases masterful fusion of Conscious Hip Hop, R & B, Jazz Funk, Spoken Word, Latin, and Blues. This album lights things up from the jump with its bangin’ lead track featuring veteran Bay Area hip hop star D Labrie the E.O.G. (East Oakland’s Greatest) AKA “Mr. Network” on “To the Flow,” an upbeat conscious hip hop dance track about fun times in Oakland in particular, and the San Francisco Bay Area in general. Over the heavy drumbeat and slap bass rhythms, he celebrates people enjoying the vibrant cultures in diverse Oakland neighborhoods while announcing that Oaklanders, who work hard and play hard, also feel empowered to stand up for social justice. D Labrie also gives you a snapshot into the life of an upcoming conscious hip hop artist on the rise. In addition, he expresses Bay Area pride by paying tribute to Bay Area sports teams which have won championships in recent years. Listeners get a special treat when they dig two slammin’ solos by powerhouse tenor saxophonist John Patrick Douglas, a distinguished bandleader who has played with many different groups, including the Afrofunk Experience, Groove Doctors, and Rene Escovedo (of the famous Bay Area Escovedo family, which includes Rene’s Uncle Pete and Cousin Sheila E). Talented vocalists Caley Kenny, Vendetta Jeanjacques, and Bill Jackson sing background, prompting revelers to “Rock, throw down. Keep it goin’ ‘til ya party down.” The second track, “He-Done-Ism,” takes you to the sinister underworld of hardcore drinking, drugging, pornography, prostitution, and gambling. Once again D Labrie runs it down, telling a story about people caught up in self-destructive situations before seeing the light and finding peace of mind in recovery from addictions. D Labrie, who often tours the U.S. and abroad, is a representative of Hip Hop Congress, a politically active non-profit organization very influential with young people. Female hip hop artist Kalizay, originally from El Salvador, is featured on the third track with her sultry “Mucha Alegria,” a jam that takes you on a mellow Latin groove describing fun times in Chicano culture. This song also pays a brief tribute to Mexican-American heroes such as Delores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, and Stanford University Heisman Trophy winner and former star Oakland Raider Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jim Plunkett. “The Chili Is Hot,” a rich melodic Jazz Fusion cut, is the only instrumental on this album, and it features multi-talented Berklee Music College (in Boston) alumnist Ben Ball playing lead alto sax and keyboard. Ben Ball, who has performed with jazz trumpet immortal Donald Byrd and a New York City-based African Funk band called Ibrahim World Beat, composed the song. Bass guitarist Roger Mitch adds plenty of spice with his creative improvisations throughout this piece, while Phillip Stewart plays a percussive support role on drums. Paradise presents spoken word at its best with the recorded version of one of his classic pieces titled, “Ain’t Yo’ Mama Black.” He uses rich, poetic language to reflect on Black History, World History, World Cultures, and the role of Mother Africa and her descendants in all of it. Outstanding percussionist Bill Norwood accompanies on congas and Bill Jackson plays bass guitar. Elegant songstress extraordinaire Shavone Pickett, premiere Bay Area Hip Hop Diva Keldamuzik (who has toured the Caribbean, Japan, and has her own Cable TV show), and virtuoso alto and soprano sax man Ben Ball are featured on “Bold and Beautiful,” a tribute to strong and beautiful women in general, and strong and beautiful Black women in particular. This song is a winning example of fusing Jazzfunk, R & B, and Conscious Hip Hop. “Give It All U Got!” is a dazzling mix of Afro-Cuban/ Latin Jazz, R & B, Funk, Conscious Hip Hop, and Spoken Word, but the music speaks for itself. This upbeat Mambo-style track features lead vocalists Brianii Savange and Bill Jackson, Conscious Hip Hop Artist Kalizay, and Spoken Word artist Paradise. Last but not at all least, “Merry Christmas Baby” features veteran Classic Soul vocalist Rufus Wonder rockin’ the house with this newly-revised cover version of Charles Brown’s original song. This fast, uptempo Blues-style version also features musicians Michael “Spiderman” Robinson on piano, Ben Ball on alto sax, and James “Jam G” Tall on guitar playing “good music (on my radio),” as Rufus Wonder’s lyrics say. Professional recording studio The Wally Sound raised this project to peak quality as chief engineer Wally McClellan recorded, edited, mixed, and mastered the album tracks. The artistically-gifted Aidan O’Flynn illustrated the impressive portraits of artists on the album front cover and designed the rest of the graphics. For more information, visit the True Vibe Records website at www.trueviberecords.com