Thursday, July 21, 2005  

Lou Donaldson
"Snake Bone"
Say It Loud!
(Water, 2005; Blue Note, 1969)

Say It Loud! is a decent soul-jazz record overall, but Lou Donaldson's "Snake Bone" features the band at its most active and inspired. Idris "Leo Morris" Muhammad's snare positively crackles (natch), his poppin' beats skipping all over the drum head. Guitarist Jimmy Ponder's solo sums up all his skills, from nasty blues licks to octave swarms, plus dirty hammer-ons and pull-offs. Organist Charles "The Mighty Burner" Earland lets loose with skittering melody lines and crowd-rousing drones and swells during his solo. Blue Mitchell's ringing, pure-soul trumpet tone punches through the mix, and Donaldson--playing an alto sax augmented by a Varitone electronic attachment for a slightly fuller, reverbier sound--is his usual funked-up self.

Buy from Forced Exposure.
Visit the fab reissue label Water.

Posted by CP | Link |

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Wednesday, July 20, 2005  

Grant Green
"Ain't It Funky Now!"
Green Is Beautiful
(Blue Note, 1970)
Ain't It Funky Now!
(Blue Note, 2005)

THE BOOM,
THE BAP!
On this James Brown cover, Idris Muhammad, augmented by Candido (congas) and Richard Landrum (bongos), proves he's just about the funkiest jazz drummer ever. And Saint Francis of Assisi, bless Wes Montgomery and early George Benson, but there's no doubting Grant Green's jazz-boogaloo supremacy.

Sometimes 1960s & 1970s soul-jazz covers of James Brown songs are too flabby--the tunes were meant for tight riffing, not loose-limbed improv. But this version so very kills as a jazz number and as a fierce booty-shaker. I love, too, that the song fades after nearly 10 minutes of gutbucket funk; the band probably played for another 10, easy.

Buy.... Or buy.

Posted by CP | Link |

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Tuesday, July 19, 2005  

Amo Perugia

Taking a summer vacation in Italy is not overrated.

Posted by CP | Link |

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