Excellent live work from Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band – and a set that's easily their greatest effort to date! There's a sense of power here that doesn't always come through in the group's studio albums – a mixture both of deep funk in the rhythms and sharp jazz styles in the tenor and flute played by Colin Webster – a "voice" on the record that's almost as strong as Joseph's soulful lead in the lyrics! The rhythms are super-tight – and everything's way more focused than before – but at a level that also lets Joseph and Webster stretch out on their own with more freedom too. Tracks are all long – and titles include "Tanty Lynn", "Heavy", "Griot", "Bullet In The Rocks", "Buddha", "The Engine Room", and "Bird Head Son". ~ Dusty Groove
A really unique collaboration between fluteman Herbie Mann and soul singer Tamiko Jones – a vocalist who's always a really special talent, and who has an equally great ear for jazz as well! That style works perfectly here – as the vibe is somewhere between Herbie's Latin and Brazilian-styled sets for Atlantic, and some of the groovier jazz of the 60s – particularly the styles influenced by hip soundtracks of the time. Arrangements are very fresh, and even make familiar tunes pop nicely – thanks to work on the charts from Joe Zawinul, Melba Liston, and Jimmy Wisner. But the really special talent here is Tamiko – who sometimes sings lyrics, sometimes works wordlessly in a really cool mode – on titles that include "A Man & A Woman", "O Barquinho", "It's Time That You Settled Down", "Sidewinder", "Day Tripper", "Sunny", and "How Insensitive". ~ Dusty Groove
Massive work from tenorist Eric Alexander – a player who never lets us down, and who always manages to sound extra great on expensive Japanese-only sessions like this! The album's got a clear, simple focus that really sums up the classic tone and timing that Alexander brings to his tenor – a style that has him handling the horn at a level that's certainly timeless, but instantly fresh too – that crisp sense of creativity you get when hearing a rare top-shelf jazzman at his best! Of course, the rhythm section does plenty to help Eric find the right space – the perfect trio of Harold Mabern on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums – all recorded in a way so that the tones of the tunes are incredibly deep and richly soulful. Titles include "Is It You", "Sayonara Blues", "Hittin The Jug", "Dis Here", "Edward Lee", and "Dance With Me". ~ Dusty Groove
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