As the grandson of the late trumpeter Doc Cheatham, and former student of legendary jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd, trumpeter Theo Croker is well–versed in the swing, bop, and modal styles of acoustic jazz. His own music, however, is a groove–oriented amalgam that would have pleased the forward–thinking Byrd, whose own beat–heavy albums of the ‘70s were an obvious touchstone for Croker on his 2016 CD Escape Velocity. This Jazz Standard run celebrates a new Theo Croker release and finds him in the com­pany of longtime sidemen Michael King (keyboards) and Kassa Overall (drums) as well as newcomer Irwin Hall on alto sax and flute. “He has the tools, the intelligence, the ability and the talents,” says Wynton Marsalis. “The future looks bright for Croker!” Theo Croker – trumpet Irwin Hall – alto saxophone, alto flute Michael King – keyboards Eric Wheeler – bass  Kassa Overall – drums