Monte Croft

I noticed that no one has brought up Monte Croft on this website.

Here is a quick S. Yanow Bio for him:
An excellent vibraphonist who also takes R&Bish vocals, Monte Croft had a fine Columbia release in 1989 and a more commercial follow-up the following year but has maintained a fairly low profile ever since. When he was ten, he was given a drum set for Christmas and immediately started practicing. Croft switched to vibes when he was 14 and, although he primarily listened to R&B and soul, he also was interested in jazz. Croft started attending the Berklee School of Music in 1979 and gained experience playing in local clubs. In 1983 he moved to New York and had the opportunity to play with Branford Marsalis, the Terence Blanchard-Donald Harrison group, James Spaulding, and others before forming his own group and making his Columbia albums. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

He has a YouTube page here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/montecroft

I have his two original albums called "Survival of the Spirit" and "A Higher fire". Both have a mixture of Stevie Wonder-ish tunes that feature Monte on vocals and burning modern jazz. Apparently he can lay down a mean guitar too (check out his YouTube vids). Anyway, I first got hip to his playing when he came to town with Charlie Hunter. I think he had replaced Stefon Harris on the tour fo the "Return of the Candyman" album. A friend of mine recorded the show and Monte is on fire throughout.