1. Next Time You See Me
2. Maggie
3. Red Top
4. Daddy's Home
5. Right Turn on Blue
6. Teach Me Tonight
7. The Masher
8. But on the Other Hand
9. Back at the Chicken Shack
Jimmy McGriff – Hammond B-3 Organ
Hank Crawford - Alto sax
Rodney Jones - Guitar
Jesse Hameen - Drums
Jimmy
McGriff and Hank Crawford are old hands at
no-nonsense jazz: the sort which is firmly
based on the blues and insists on swinging
infectiously. yet this is not to say that
the music lacks substance - i n fact it is
much subtler than it may appear on the surface.
Both Jimmy and Hank use bluesy tunes to provide
familiar structures but they build various
subtleties on these bases. Note, for instance,
how their solos stride across the pulse, crossing
the bar-lines with ease - even sashaying cheerfully
through them. Guitarist Rodney Jones fits
in well with this approach, making you want
to tap your feet but throwing in some surprises
along the way. And drummer Jesse Hameen keeps
the music moving (aided by McGriff on the
organ pedals) while throwing in just the right
accents, fills and solos.
This
album was actually recorded in a New York
studio in 1994 but it has the relaxed good-time
atmosphere of a club date. Much of the credit
must go to Jimmy McGriff, who often introduces
a tune alone on the Hammond B-3, setting the
mood and even the theme for all four musicians.
But all four work superbly together. As an
example of their togetherness, take Percy
Mayfield's But
on the Other Hand,
which Rodney Jones introduces with some fine
B. B. King-style blues guitar, followed by
fervent preaching from Hank Crawford's saxophone.
Jimmy McGriff's solo veers from restraint
to passion, while Jesse Hameen accentuates
when necessary and holds back when advisable.
The
best Hammond organ recordings make you feel
good while enticing you to tap your feet and
even snap your fingers. This album does exactly
what it says on the tin.
Tony
Augarde
CD Reviews
Telarc
CD 83366
