Though initially a rhythm-and-blues man who played with Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye as well as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Melvin Sparks made his mark as a groove pioneer. So it’s fitting that his final recording, Live at Nectar’s—captured shortly before the guitarist’s 2011 passing and mixed by Sparks disciple and New Mastersounds guitarist Eddie Roberts—was taped at a seminal jamband incubator. Backed by Kung Fu organist Beau Sasser and Max Creek drummer Bill Carbone, Sparks offers an improvisational showcase that moves from his “Cranberry Sunshine” into a lively cover of George Benson’s “Breezin,’” and displays his breadth of influences—from pop to bebop-funk interwoven with sprawling guitar riffs—throughout numbers like “Whip! Whop!,” “Fire Eater” and “Miss Riverside.” Sparks rarely played with brass players during his later years, so it’s an extra bonus to have The Grippo Horns prominently displayed on key tracks like his 1973 arrangement of “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I Got),” which the guitarist hadn’t performed in some time. The energy that emanates from Live at Nectar’s makes it hard to remember this was only a few months prior to the 64 year old’s passing.