Celebrating 20 years since the release of his acclaimed debut album Raindrops in the Sun, versatile independent saxophonist Earnest Walker, Jr. gets back in the grooves (plural) big time with his highly anticipated album whose title, IFATOBA, is as exotic, compelling and bold as the eclectic, multi-faceted music itself. In the ancient West African language, it means “the king has arrived.”

In Walker’s worldview, the album is not about pageantry and royalty, however; his take on the king is as one who humbly leads, provides wisdom and at the same time serves. His goal with this collection of ten spirited, emotionally high impact tracks and three interludes is to share his belief that the best of this universe is expressed in dance and music. Capturing the danceable, hypnotic African vibes we hear towards the end of “Chakaya’s Eyes,” an edgy, freewheeling funk tune dedicated to his wife and on the brief “Kalimba Interlude,” he says, “Bring on your drum, we shall all sing and dance together!”

Though Walker is speaking universally, he is first and foremost celebrating his family ties. IFATOBA is dedicated to his mother Rebecca, a loving supporter of his musical endeavors who passed away in 2018. The spoken word interludes feature snippets of conversation with his wife and son “Chakaya and Khalil” (his wife and son) and his daughter “Soraida.” Beyond all those incredible conceptual and spiritual elements, Walker offers enormous potential in the pocket contemporary urban jazz radio hits, starting with “Palm Avenue,” which evolves from a sultry and shimmering easy flowing affair into a punchier, harder grooving, horn spiced funk tune.

Walker showcases the depth of his heartfelt and urgent emotional playing on a soulful, balmy arrangement of John Legend’s hit “Ordinary People” which takes the original piano/vocal arrangement to powerful new heights. Another high-octane gem is “Dimensions,” which – true to its title – fuses a simmering, hypnotic soul vibe with wild African flavored percussion fills, showcasing the saxophonist’s expansive musical-cultural palette all in one track. On the silkier side, IFATOBA wraps with the sultry and smooth sounding “Sweet Dreams,” a tune grounded in old school sensibilities and featuring one of Walker’s most intense, passionate sax melodies.