After three decades of making adventurous instrumental music, Cincinnati collective Ray’s Music Exchange returns to the stage with A Live Family Rayunion 2025, their first live album in 15 years. Recorded at the historic Woodward Theater, the six-track release captures the group’s genre-defying funk-jazz sound in a collaborative setting, bringing together the band’s veteran core with an impressive cast of Cincinnati musicians and members of Ernie Johnson from Detroit. The album celebrates the communal energy and improvisational spirit that have defined the group since its Midwest roots in the late 1990s.
“Furley’s Comet” immediately establishes that sense of movement with catchy, amusing horns weaving through deep, brooding bass and a groovy rhythmic foundation. The guitar chimes melodically around the arrangement, giving the track a playful brightness without taking away from its heavier low end. The live setting suits the song particularly well, allowing its different instrumental layers to bounce off one another and create a constantly shifting groove.
“Peruvius” picks up the pace with a fast, smug bassline that gives the track plenty of swagger. Splashing cymbals and blowing horns add to its restless energy, while sharp, shimmery guitars cut through the mix with melodic precision. Beneath it all, rumbling drums keep everything moving forward, making the track feel both tightly arranged and wonderfully loose at the same time.
With its veteran lineup, guest musicians, and live-room immediacy, A Live Family Rayunion 2025 captures Ray’s Music Exchange doing what they have spent decades doing best: turning funk, jazz, and improvisation into an unpredictable collective experience. Thirty years in, the band still sounds ready to chase the next groove.
STAY IN TOUCH:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP | WEBSITE
Review by: Naomi Joan