Reuben Wilson

In recent years, Reuben Wilson has finally received the respect he deserves, mostly from rare groove record bin scavengers and acid jazzers looking for the greasy roots of funky dance music. While his early works delved into exploratory jazz and fiery Hard Bop -- with legends Grant Green and Lee Morgan offering their assistance -- Wilson's 1970s albums for Blue Note were often considered too overtly commercial. Enter modern hip-hop artists such as Tribe Called Quest, Nas and Guru, who procured finely hued loops from these "sell-out" albums and enlightened many to the inherent catchiness, grooviness and undeniable soul of this master's playing. After a brief retirement, Wilson returned to the stage to let the Hammond B-3's keys flow over smoking beats.