NATIVE GROOVE

Who would have thought that native American chant could find such a sympathetic soul brother in urban American jazz/fusion? Stonecoat, that's who. As Dino Soldo, he's blown sax for the likes of Vanessa Williams, Jody Whatley, and Tower of Power. As Stonecoat, he now applies those hip chops to the archaic chants of his part-Cherokee heritage.

It may sound opportunistic, but Cherokee Myth is good. It has a big-bottomed hip-hoppity beat you can dance to. Harmonically, its vibe is light and life-affirming. And Stonecoat knows just how to set the gems in his collection of native songs, chants, and "vocal riffs" (whether performed by leathery lunged elders, golden throated maidens, or anyone in between) into slick and breezy uptown grooves. Geronimo, meet Shaft -- very cool.

No one needs to roll over in their graves over this one, unless perhaps they're trying to dance to it.