Customer Reviews

West Coast Boogaloo

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm writing this now, seven months after I bought this cd simply because it would be derelict of me and my love for great jazz and funk to keep my mouth shut. You MUST own this if you care at all for funky horns. All of us know who Fred Wesley is from his days with James Brown but it wasn't until I heard this cd that I really FELT his playing. This album is filled with perfect, emotional, stabbing solos from Wesley on Trumbone, Denson on Sax, Todd on Flute, I could keep going. I own hundreds of cd's and I've heard so much watered down instrumental funk in my day but nothing pumps me up or makes me happier than this album. I still listen to it once and a while, it's amazing. I cant speak more highly of an instrumental funk album from start to finish.

Bass lines JUMP out of your speaker, into your ears and send message to brain that says: "Conitnue to shake booty generously from side to side." Boogaloo guitars and Rhodes pianos lightin' it up. Causes head to rock front to back, right along with Zak Najor, quite possibly the sickest drummer around. And FRED WESLEY, folks! The Man Is Trombone. He plays effortlessly. Struggle-free lick trading with Karl Denson. If you have any appreciation for thoughtful AND fun music, this is the disc for you. Wouldn't consider this jam band. Widespread Panic is a jam band. If you like being bored to tears, buy thier stuff. If you like Herbie Hancock's funkier stuff, Galactic, Corduroy, The JB's, Tower of Power, etc. you'll love this session.

Six or seven years ago I would go down to the Green Cirle Bar in San Diego and watch these guys play. Just tons of talent, really funky. I had been producing house music for several years prior to coming across them accidentally. After listening to them play several times I realized I knew nothing about music. I bought a piano and started reading everything I could on jazz and music theory. This album is the reason why.

In a time when so much music seems processed and overproduced, the Greyboy Allstars offer fresh, funky, and downright mesmerizing relief here. Along with the help of ex-JB Horn's member Fred Wesley the Greyboys jam acid-jazz style better than anyone around. Each member showcases his outstanding talents on this album, and Karl Denson on sax provides more proof that he is one of the finest players in the jazz world bar none. buy this CD and strap yourself down, or you may be blown away.

I picked this album up on the strength of instrumentalists Robert Walter and Karl Denson, both of whom I have seen live with both their own bands (20th congress and tiny universe, respectively) as well as sharing a stage with others (kimock, gov't mule, etc.).

Hearing this group is really amazing, especially joined by perhaps the greatest trombone player of all time, FRED. I give it 4.5 stars, mostly because the opening track is by far the strongest, and I tend to wander off about midway through the album. Very strong record throughout just the same.

This band is all about juxtaposition. In West Coast Boogaloo, the Allstars produce an incredibly tight and unified groove, all the while peppering it with badassedly loose and liberated abandon. Bouncy, flowing basslines, coupled with the light touch and tasty hi-hats workings of Zak Najor on drums lay the ground work for this disc. Sprinkled on top are lively horns, simple but effective guitars, and hot keyboards. Karl Denson leads the group, donating mind-blowing flute solos and soulful sax runs. The only drawback to this band is when Denson attempts to sing. Each member gets the opportunity to solo in almost every song, giving a free, fresh and `flying by the seat of your pants' feeling. Tight, free, big, funky, exciting, fast - you choose. This album is the band's crowning achievement and is not be missed.

This cd has influenced my drumming more than any cd I own. I even passed it on to my mom who plays saxaphone to practice to, and she is now hooked on them. I am the encyclopaedia of funk/jazz in my area, and I still have yet to find a band that blends grooves, funks the hell out you, and never lets up for a second better than they do.

I was sitting in the parking lot with "Fried Grease" playing on my car stereo, windows down, on a hot day. I wanted to get out of the car, but I had to hear the end of the song. I had heard it a million times before, played it for people, played it over and over again for myself, etc. But I had to wait to catch that last guitar solo, perhaps one of the most perfect moments in music I have ever heard. When the keys interlock with that guitar, playing out that solo with this beautiful, perfect tone, and then the horns come in, it just kills me. It was one of those transcendent moments, where I just realized that whatever life throws at me, at least I have this guitar solo to keep coming back to. No joke. I guess this is where I find my peace in life.

This music has a quality about it that lifts it beyond "groove jazz" into perfection. To call it smooth is just a huge understatement. This thing could *define* the term. Everything just slides perfectly into place. These musicians were right in tune with each other the whole way through.

So what I suggest is to buy the disc, put it on the car stereo, and see how you feel. If you're like me, the troubles will melt away.

This is the best jazz-funk album I have ever heard, bar none. relentless grooves. Wild flute solos, nimble basslines, bubbly and wailing organ, smooth locktight-in-pocket drumming. A must for any fan of funk.

Silky smooth, hip shaking, groove breakin', this is still in my opinion the best Greboy Allstars album. This was one of the first "acid jazz" albums I bought and I haven't looked back since. Even the first taste of the album gives the listener the almost palpable "coooolness" of the orginal 60s and 70s groove era....definitely has the horn melodies reminiscent of soundtracks played on Barney Miller and other big city cop shows. The Allstarts retain all the typical characteristics of classical jazz...layered instruments, wavering improvisation, subtle percussion background...but also add so much more life, rhythm, and faster paced melody that appeals to a wider audience. One of those rare cool albums that both your mom and your younger brother can enjoy...