From: Chucketal_at_aol.com
Date: 2006-02-03 12:58:13
As selected by Chuck Ingersoll, host of the Soul Jazz Spectrum, heard Friday
nites on Jazz 90.1 in Rochester, NY and jazz901.org, worldwide on the Web. The
program features three hours of soul jazz ranging from Greyboy to Grant
Green, Soulive to Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine to Topaz every week. It's heard
on Friday evenings, Eastern Time U.S., from 9 until midnight.
Below is the list of our best CDs of 2005. To listen to the program online,
go to www.jazz901.org, then click LISTEN. To learn more about the program, go
to www.chuckingersoll.com and click on SOUL JAZZ SPECTRUM button in left-side
column.
The Top 10 Soul Jazz CDs of the Year from Chuck Ingersoll and the Soul Jazz
Spectrum on Jazz 90.1 and jazz901.org
Top 10 New Releases
1) Legacy – Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco (Concord)
With the passing of Jimmy Smith in February 2005, the ranks of remaining old
guard B3 masters is sadly dwindling to Jimmy McGriff, Reuben Wilson, Lonnie
Smith and Mel Rhyne. Thankfully, Joey D got together with Smith one last time to
create this final collaboration. Smith regarded DeFrancesco as a prodigious
talent and the likely heir to his Hammond throne. This set, especially the
Latinized “Back at the Chicken Shack,” is dynamic, grooving, mellow and always
compelling, no matter what the tempo. This was the first studio meeting of these
two giants and it’s a beautiful way to remember “the boss.”
2) Melvin Sparks – This Is It (Savant)
Thankfully, Melvin Sparks has crossed from the jazz world to find a place in
the groove and jam band universe, along with folks like Karl Denson, Stanton
Moore and Soulive. It’s amazing how effortlessly Sparks and compatriots serve
up the funk with clever melodies and well-constructed solos. Melvin Sparks done
done it again, with a CD that jazz and jam fans will each find rewarding,
grooving and totally in the pocket. To quote Nina Simone, it’s “funkier than a
mosquiter’s tweeter.”
3) Vibrant Tones – City Rhythm Orchestra with Special Guest Joey DeFrancesco
(Limehouse)
Listen or watch this (there’s also a DVD) and go “Wow!” Wow at the playing,
the charts, the solos and Joey D. DeFrancesco’s playing is amazingly agile,
almost elegant for the B3, yet his swing is infectious and soulful. And the
arrangements by Joe Matt add new twists and interest to some classics, including “
Senor Blues,” “Moanin’,” “Walk on the Wild Side” and “The Cat.” On the
latter two tracks, Matt and Joey D both create something fresh that takes a new
angle on what Jimmy Smith and arrangers like Lalo Schifrin and Oliver Nelson
did in the ‘60s. Highly recommended for those who love a groove and appreciate
great swing.
4) Jim Cifelli – Groove Station (Short Notice)
Trumpeter/composer Cifelli usually releases little big band albums full of
interesting charts and ambitious playing. This time he went for the groove (thus
the title) and brings together a cast with lots of rock, soul and jazz
experience. As in his more straightahead work, Cifelli takes soul jazz to a higher
plane, with intelligently funky compositions and soloists with something to
say. Guitarist Dave Phelps adds a Stevie Ray Vaughan-like presence and Cifelli,
keyboardist Will Boulware and saxophonist Joel Frahm demonstrate that just
because you can dance to it doesn’t mean it has to be vapid.
5) Ron Levy’s Wild Kingdom – Voodoo Boogaloo (Levtron)
Back in 2003, Ron Levy’s Finding My Way was our top Soul Jazz CD of the year.
This release combines cooking rhythms with some inspired soloing and a sound
that often harkens back to the soul of the late ‘60s. Karl Denson and Melvin
Sparks are along with Levy, assuring that the improvisations will be first
rate. There are dollops of hip hop, New Orleans, Memphis and the blues. As always,
Levy strives to deliver more than heads and jam-band noodlings, writing
interesting tunes with varied textures, grooves and even movements. As usual, Levy
is all over the groove like Anna Nicole on a geezer with big bucks.
6) Radam Schwartz – Conspiracy for Positivity (Blue Ark)
Along with sporting a wide array of tasteful headgear, Newark-based organist
Radam Schwartz keeps the New Jersey city’s B3 heritage cooking. He hosts a
weekly jam session and is an educator continuing the bop and soul jazz
traditions of the city. Conspiracy brings together students and veteran saxophonist
James Stewart for a varied set, mostly Schwartz originals plus an R. Kelly
cover. This isn’t a non-stop funkfest, but the jam session-like vibe features a
relaxed feeling and plenty of room for stretching out. Although a studio date,
there’s a live set ambience and sound. Trumpeter James Gibbs III especially
stands out. Smokin’ when it should be and swingin’ in all the right places.
7) Ximo Tebar – Goes Blue (Sunnyside)
Spanish guitarist Ximo Tebar, acclaimed for his virtuosity, sense of swing
and blues feeling, sometimes sounds like a Charlie Christian/Paco deLucia summit
meeting. For this outing, he added Lou Donaldson and focused on the bluesy,
soulful side, including tastefully grooving renditions of “Midnight Creeper”
and “Blues Walk,” two soul jazz classics made famous by Poppa Lou.
8) Reuben Wilson – Fun House (Savant)
Hey, it never hurts to book Melvin Sparks for your groove project. Here he
sounds incredibly relaxed; fluently and funkily soloing while tossing in random
quotes with casual style and impeccable timing. If a man can be laid back and
totally in the pocket, that’s Sparks. As always, Reuben Wilson reminds of the
old Blue Note days, keeping things cooking and allowing plenty of space for
talented saxophonist Cochema Gastelum, Sparks and drummer Mike Clark to have
their way with the groove.
9) Organissimo – This Is the Place (Big O)
These three guys last produced the wonderful Waiting for the Boogaloo Sisters
, and their humor combined with chops and an adventurous spirit creates music
bridging grit and funk with the organ trio tradition. B3 man Jim Alfredson is
a talent, and the group brings a Larry Young-like sense of courage to their
repertoire, including a multi-faceted take on Zappa’s “Peaches En Regalia.”
10) Soulive – Breakout (Concord)
Soulive remixed? Reinvented? Not exactly. Some have crabbed that this is
Soulive’s attempt at a commercial breakthrough, with half the tracks featuring
guests like Chaka Khan, Ivan Neville and pedal steel whiz Robert Randolph. Neville
’s tracks do cook more than Chaka’s, there’s a cool blues tune in “Vapor,”
but the jazzier feel and shifting rhythms aren’t as much in evidence as in
Soulive’s Blue Note oeuvre. A few sparkling sips of Chablis awash in a sea of
tepid Tab.
Reissue of the Year
Think! – Lonnie Smith (Blue Note)
Before he became a “doctor,” Lonnie Smith closely examined the funk on
several classic soul jazz albums for Blue Note. This reissue teams great sidemen
(David “Fathead” Newman, Lee Morgan, Melvin Sparks and Idris Muhammed) with
tunes featuring richer harmonies and structures than many soul jazz jams. Listen
to the opening solo by Lee Morgan on “Slouchin’.” It’s sly yet cocky; a
perfect example of Morgan’s confidence, chops and amazing sense of time. Great
tunes, fine remastering, a must-see (and hear) CD.
Chuck Ingersoll * chucketal_at_aol.com
****************
Host of the Soul Jazz Spectrum, Friday nights from 9 'til Midnite on
Rochester's jazz station, Jazz 90.1. A program of grooving, funky soul jazz from the
late 50s through the current day, featuring artists ranging from Grant Green to
Soulive. "Tune us in" on your computer by logging onto www.jazz901.org, then
click "Listen Live," and follow the directions to listen with a variety of
media players. We now have an improved 96 KBps MP3 stream.