Customer Reviews

Think

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I believe this is Lonnie's first album as leader, from July 23 1968, and what a cast of personnel Blue Note gathered!
Lee Morgan, trumpet; David "Fathead" Newman, tenor sax & flute; Melvin Sparks, guitar; Marion Booker, Jr, drums; Henry "Pucho" Brown, timbales; Willie Bivens, conga; Noberto Apellaniz, conga

Having been grooving to "Live at the Club Mozambique" and "Move Your Hand" for awhile, both 5 star jazz funk albums, I couldn't pass this one up, especially after seeing the personnel. The album leans more to the jazzier side compared to the greasy funk of the above mentioned albums, but there are plenty of places for Lonnie and cast to let loose. The addition of Pucho (a great latin acid jazz leader in his own right) and the others adds a great latin vibe to a couple of the tunes on the album. The most notable being "The Call of the Wild", a 12 minute Lonnie original that starts out with a slow wailing, gets jump-started by the percussion section into a full blown, funky latin jazz opus where everyone gets a turn and maximizes it, before resolving back into introduction. Lonnie funks it up on the cover of Aretha's "Think" while the others provide the backdrop. "Three Blind Mice" melts into a great soul jazz feel from the familiar melody, while the soloists explore against a great drum & percussion backdrop. "Son of Ice Bag", the opening 11 minute session, takes awhile to move past the opening, but really expands in the middle before reprising the opening theme for awhile at the end. The album ends with the other Lonnie original, "Slouchin'", a slow burning groover of the type that he would explore more fully on the "Move Your Hand" album, and all the players contribute to the great vibe.

Bottom Line - 4 stars, mainly in funk jazz comparison to the two 5 star albums mentioned above, but in several ways more pleasing than the others because of the variety. If you can find this rare gem at a good price, buy it and enjoy!