Ok I'm just realizing that how I view "secular" music makes me look like an idiot but here are more that I listen to and suggest:
Spyro Gyra ..........
Spyro Gyra story....not as cool as the Bob James' driver story, but....
When I was growing up in Buffalo, Spyro Gyra was the house band for a small jazz club called The Tralfamadore. It was on Main St., halfway between my house and my high school. On the days when I didn't steal my Mom's car to go to school (subject for another thread) my best friend (drummer) and I would sneak into the Tralf on the walk home from school and watch Spyro Gyra rehearse.