Customer Reviews

Brown Sugar

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Recorded by a quartet of Roach on organ,Joe Henderson on Tenor Sax, Eddie Wright on guitar and Clarence Johnston on drums this was the fourth of five albums that Roach recorded for Blue Note as a leader.Roach brought a very different set of sounds to the Hammond, and in Henderson seemed to have found a perfect foil, as he wraps his usually deep sound around the solos of the other players.On first hearing it seems that Wright's guitar playing might be too far back in the mix, but repeated listening confirms that although not as dominant as the two main soloists he plays an important part in the overall sound, particularly in the slower numbers. The repetoire itself is very mixed with a couple of very uptempo tracks, "Brown Sugar" ( a joyous sounding cooker of a track)and "Next Time you see me" combined with a couple of extended blues work outs. I especially liked the version of Quincy Jones' "The Midnight Sun will never set". The version of "The Right Time" is also excellent and bears very little resemblance to the Ray Charles version of the song. The quality of the remastering is excellent, and even though the CD contains no unreleased tracks or out-takes ( I asssume that the session produced none) this is an excellent re-issue. As I repeat in many of the reviews for these Blue Note albums, the reissue programme appears to have no logic, and this is another one that you ought to purchase before they delete it again. A timeless session that is highly recommended.

The cover itself look almost good enough to eat... sizzling brown sugar... and it fits the sound and vibes perfectly...

With liner notes by the genius himself (Freddie Roach) to set the mood (he should'a been writer but he got too good at the organ) - - this is a nice and bluesy session, featuring Freddie's regular group (Eddie Wright on guitar, Clarence Johnston on drums) with the pleasant addition of Joe Henderson on tenor.

Freddie Roach was somewhat unique in that he walked a very fine line between hard bop and the blues, and even before Larry Young and Don Patterson, was taking a "straight" approach to the organ going well beyond the cliches...however, this CD is definitely his bluesiet. There is a catch though... as in the case of his label mate, the late great Big John Patton (who admired him as well !) there's always a twist when Freddie tackles a blues... a point of departure which on one hand enhances the groove and on the other forces you to think.

Though a lot more blues drenched than his other CDs (beg, borrow and steal if it ever means hunting down a copy of Mo' Greens or Down to Earth an definitely get Good Move !) the best way to describe this sesson is deep thoughtful soul in no hurry to get anywhere, laden with chitlins and feel... and Freddie was a master of ballads too... time will cease to exist as you dig in deeply and listen to every note of The Midnight Sun Will Never Set and All Night Long... listen to the refinement, the interaction, and the awe inspiring control Freddie has over that organ - - Joe Henderson is especially well showcased on the closing track as you can almost taste the notes coming from his horn... then get jolted back to life from a dream like state with some heavy struttin' on Next Time You See Me !

In summary - - must have Rare Groove from the vaults....

This is BAD - 4 R&B type tunes and 2 sleepwalking ballads No wonder mosaic/trueblue has disavowed Freddie in retrospect. His only typical Blue Note is DOWN TO EARTH with Percy France and Kenny Burrell,a Home Cookin' kind of groove without Jimmy. Joe Henderson can be heard to much better advantage on Pete LaRoca's BASRA quartet session with Steve Kuhn on piano.