A
massive groover - and a set that rumbles as much as you might guess from the
title! The album's got Willis Jackson blowing in a very open, loud tenor tone -
working with an unusual group that features Freddie Roach on organ, and Wild
Bill Jennings on guitar - the former a hip, smooth keyboardist, the latter a
rougher, bluesier player - making for a really nice mix of modes! There's a
deep soul jazz bottom throughout - and titles include "Thunderbird",
"Lady Be Good", "Back & Forth", and "California
Sun". © Dusty
Groove, Inc.
Right from the title track opener, it's apparent that
Jackson's heading straight for basic soul-jazz. Anchoring the composition
around a basic R&B riff and Jackson's wailing tenor, it's the kind of song
that could have been used just as well for teenage twisting as jazz bars, which
is not to its detriment at all. While the cover of "California Sun"
(which would be a number pop hit for the Rivieras in 1964) also seems like a
stab at pop accessibility, there are detours into more inside jazz with the
interpretations of "Body and Soul" and the Gershwins' "Oh Lady,
Be Good." "A Penny Serenade," grounded by Ray Barretto's congas,
ends the set on a lively and playful note. Freddie Roach fills the organ chair
on this set, and guitarist Bill Jennings gets some tasteful licks in,
particularly during "A Penny Serenade." ~ Extract by Richie
Unterberger, AMG.
Prestige
Records, PRST 7232, 1962
Recorded
31st March, 1962 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Musicians:
Willis
Jackson - Tenor Saxophone
Freddie Roach - Organ
Bill Jennings - Guitar
Wendell Marshall - Bass
Frank Shea - Drums
Ray Barretto - Congas
Tracks:
A1.
Thunderbird {Willis Jackson} (5:04)
A2. Oh, Lady Be Good {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin}
(5:25)
A3. Back & Forth {Willis Jackson, Bill Jennings}
(9:15)
B1. California Sun {Henry Glover, Morris Levy} (3:50)
B2. Body & Soul {Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward
Heyman, Robert Sour} (7:52)
B3. A Penny Serenade {Darren Halifax, Melle Weersma}
(7:45)
Credits:
Supervisor
- Esmond Edwards
Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Cover Photo - Don Schlitten
Liner Notes - LeRoi Jones
