Brother Jack McDuff - Screamin' (1962)

Great 'Duff quartet session circa '62 is anything but laid back. Opens with a great hot blowing session type blues in which the Captain launches out some of the slickest and most funky lines you'll ever hear on a B-3, backed by his trademark heavy swinging Basie'istic Basslines. - - Throughout the tune I'm impressed by the "coherence" and linearity of his lines... sharp as a knife, even as those slick changes blow by. Kenny Burrell is nice 'n bluesy... then Leo Wright, fresh from The Dizzy Gillespie Quintet comes at ya blowing with a virtuosic Charlie Parker bebopistic calibre you don't necessarily associate with the Blue Note sound of that era. Actually, it takes a while to get used. Next comes Soulful Drums, a laid-back Night Train-istic blues which gives Dukes and opportunity to show off and heat things up, followed by a sharp pianistic Shirley Scottish "take me down yonder, and bartender poor me another one while I go slow dance with my lady" type blues. Screamin’, the title track is hard to describe... a gospely up tempo Caribbean boogaloo "It’s Alright" type thing with some excellent work by Joe Dukes. After that, it’s time for a change of pace as Dukes gets out the brushes, Burrell strums light fully, and McDuff "Squabbles" A.K.A. the ol' time Leslie on fast 800008888 sound of Errol and Jimmy Smith... Duff is tasty and soulful on this one, and hits some nice changes. - - and the final cut of the night is One O'Clock Jump, a fine 12 bar blues wrap up to a great screamin' session by the late Brother Jack's true idol, the original Captain... or should I say "Count", Mr. Basie himself. I love Brother Jack's comping and immaculate bass lines behind Kenny Burrell's slick soloing... and again, the Bird-istic Leo Wright has a purrrrrty good time on this one too featuring a really cute vamp section that really conjures up the Count! Overall, this is a great, bluesy heavy swinging toe tapping McDuff session well worth digging. By the time the CD is over, you'll think it went all too quick! ~ Eddie Landsberg, Amazon.com.

Prestige Records, PR 7259, 1963

OJC Records, OJCCD-875-2, 1996

Recorded 23^rd October, 1962 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Jack McDuff - Organ [Hammond B-3]

Leo Wright - Alto Saxophone

Kenny Burrell - Guitar

Joe Dukes - Drums

Tracks:

A1. He's A Real Gone Guy {Nellie Lutcher} (6:05)

A2. Soulful Drums {Jack McDuff, Joe Dukes} (4:16)

A3. After Hours {Avery Parrish} (4:31)

B1. Screamin´ {Jack McDuff} (7:24)

B2. I Cover The Waterfront {Edward Heyman, Johnny Green} (3:14)

B3. One O'Clock Jump {Count Basie} (5:48)

Total Time: 31:18

Credits:

Producer, Liner Notes - Ozzie Cadena

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Remastering - Joe Tarantino, 1996 (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley)

Design, Photo - Don Schlitten