Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Organ jazz, Scofield style, December 20, 1999
By A Customer
The guitar/organ combo has made quite a comeback during the 1990's with the emergence of MMW and Joey deFrancisco, and old stalwarts like John McLaughlin jumping on the bandwagon. But leave it to John Scofield to make records, "Hand Jive" (1994) and this one from 1995, that breaks all the rules of the genre.Sco liberally injects a horn section that includes a tuba and trombone with the standard trumptet and sax, sometimes plays acoustic instead of electric guitar, and often employs a Creole style rhythm, which drumnmer Idris Muhammad is more than qualified to carry out. Most notably, Scofield passes on using any one of a number of Jimmy Smith groove disciples in favor of Larry Goldings. Goldings, perhaps the most cerebral organist since Larry Young, carefully places his chords, making sure Scofield's guitar is front and center. Other than an unusually subdued opening track "Lazy", Scofield brings his immense talents on the frets to fore, most notably the clinic he conducts on the title song. Pretty consistently good songwriting, too. This is hardly the only time John Scofield puts an organ in his lineup; he put the late Don Grolnick in the chair for 1989's "Flat Out", and of course, he teams with MMW on the lastest CD, "A Go Go". But this his most sucessful effort in that vein. If you enjoyed the grooves in "A Go Go" but still hungered for something more filling, then I highly recommend this record.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent - one of his best, May 8, 2001
Scofield's has put together a fantastic group of musicians and tunes for this rhythmic workout. This album simply does not have a low point or weak track. Most tracks feature a nice, accessible funky groove, hence the title. Sco does slow it down for a few tunes to feature his acoustic guitar, with pleasing results. The horns and organ contribute heavily on several tunes, although there is still room for Sco to stretch out with some great solos on most tracks.The lone complaint I would have is that the bass is not quite loud enough in the mix. On a funky set like this, I would have liked to hear the bass a bit more prominently. This album should rank as one of Sco's finest, a fine complement to "a go go" and "bump" which are also highly recommended. For the keen ear, listen carefully for motifs and beats (tracks 4 and 10) that Sco explores again later on his next two funk albums.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Groovy, December 20, 2001
John Scofield is a phenomenal player. He's one of those players that makes you want to slam your fingers in a door and run your guitars through a wood chipper. A tendency for guitar players is to let their guitars "talk" too much, but not Scofield. His phrasing only contains the right number of notes and they are never rushed. He's also not afraid of letting his guitar be silent either, letting his pauses build tension in the music as rhythm keeps moving forward. Don't be mistaken that this is a guitar album, because it is not. This album might have Scofield's name on it, but it is definitely a group effort. Larry Goldings adds to the magic with counterpoint on the organ and piano, the walking bass of Dennis Irwin, and drummer Idris Muhammad drums the way jazz should be played. All of the songs on this album are keepers, and were written by Scofield. Each song is inherently different, and provides a great listening experience. From his soft tones in "Soft Shoe" to the opening groove in "Lazy", Scofield writes and plays beautifully. Scofield also brings horns into the mix with songs like "Bigtop", "Lazy", and "Kool". This is a fun album to listen to as the band interacts as one. Each member builds off of the other. Even though the soloist stands out, you can still hear each individual member as if they were playing alone. Very rarely do you hear such talent mix so well that one is not playing on top of another. If you're into jazz, admire great musicians, and like music that has something to say, look no further.
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~ John Scofield
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