Customer Reviews

Driving While Black

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This genre at its best! Bennie and Patrick have transcribed that all too familiar evening ride on some city highway we've experienced! The funkiest steady percussive timing is kept by the car's tires thumping on the seamed pavement of the roadway. First front, then back - buhbump! Layered above are the city lights, din, smells, night time cityscape, passing lamp posts and buildings complete with doppler like effects and tense urban energy shaken generously into the compostion. The car moves fast, slows, then speeds up again. It's all there, even music playing, I imagine, on the car's radio! This is such a clever imaginative piece. Bennie's sax is eerie, looming, hypnotizing, sensual, sweet, haunting, curious-about-the-night and exciting. This is only one track! "Miles to go". You'll enjoy the rest of the album too. I've told you about one of my favorites. Enjoy!

This album is great if you're into random noodling.Bennie Maupin, famous for his days with Herbie Hancock, is given tracks to play on with stale derivative drum patterns.The album would have been better had there been a real drummer but chances are he wouldn't have been able to fit his kit in the bedroom where it was recorded.This album suffers from LSF (low soul factor). If you want to here some great Bennie Maupin check out Slow Traffic to the Right (Water Torture) Or any of the Herbie Hancock Albums he plays on.

as a long time fan of both these musicians i was excited to come across this disc that flew below my radar when it was released. bennie's sax work remains consistently stellar, and dr. pat's craft on the fender rhodes reminds why this used to be such an ubiquitous ax. i only wish the good dr. was featured doing more of the astonishing arp 2600 magic that peppered Crossings and Sextant. if the urge to sweeten the neo-disco beats with strings proved irresistable, i also wish he had chosen something with more of an edge, like a refurbished mellotron.

quibbles. it's great to hear these guys anytime and especially together again.