Good things come to those who wait.
Few local releases better embody such a sentiment than the rollicking new release from Ghost-Note, the Dallas-based jazz-funk collective co-founded by drummer-keyboardist Robert “Sput” Searight and percussionist Nate Werth. (Additional core members include Dwayne “MonoNeon” Thomas, Peter Knudsen, Sylvester Onyejiaka, Dominique Xavier Taplin, Vaughn “V.Keys” Henry, Jonathan Mones and Mike Jelani Brooks.)
Mustard n’Onions is Ghost-Note’s first album in six years (following 2018’s Swagism), and its third studio effort overall. In a word, this thing cooks from the moment you press play.
From the opening diptych of “JB’s Out! (Do It Babay)” into the expansive soundscape of “Origins,” the groove is relentless, a product of Searight’s musical vision as much as the collaboration fostered on these 15 songs, which for the first time in Ghost-Note’s existence, feature contributions from every member of the core group.
“We are now a band with a new identity, so we wanted to showcase and introduce that in record form,” Searight said via email. “Collaborating is something we do anyway, but we wanted our fans to hear and see how talented the band actually is individually, as well as collectively.”
“Talent,” quite frankly seems like a sizable understatement when considering the personnel assembled for Mustard n’Onions: Apart from Searight and Werth’s own formidable contributions, Karl Denson, Mark Lettieri, Jay Jennings, Travis Toy and Marcus Miller pop up, alongside the late Bernard Wright (who passed away in 2022) and Casey Benjamin (who passed away in 2024), whose appearances are among some of their final recorded work.
“It means so much to have those two guys a part of this, and to be able to dedicate it to them as they are and have been our heroes,” Searight said of Wright and Benjamin via email. “The moment we had the opportunity to witness them performing on this record will forever be cemented in our collective memories for life as one of the most epic experiences ever.”
To help mark the release of Mustard n’Onions, Ghost-Note will perform a free show, with support from Branoofunck, Gummi and DJ Viktek, on June 15 at Club Dada.
“It’s a heavy dose of fun, unapologetic, movin’ n’ groovin’ for the brain, body and soul,” Searight said, via email, of the band’s in-concert style. “If it don’t resonate, then it’s not for you.”
The band — and its formidable sonic alchemy — will have multiple opportunities to set venues ablaze in the coming months, as an ambitious tour schedule stretching into October will take Ghost-Note from coast to coast and across the Atlantic to Europe, where it has dates booked in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
“[Chemistry] is the most essential element to what we do and precisely the chemistry of love and admiration we have for one another is an equally important component,” Searight said via email. “We learn, listen and create music together offstage daily, so performing together comes easy most times when we are having fun.”
Ghost-Note at Club Dada, Dallas. 6 p.m. June 15. Admission is free.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
