Search - Bill Heid :: Da Girl

Great album -awful cover!

Dr.D.Treharne | Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom | 07/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If I was browsing in a store this is a CD I'd have put down after the briefest of inspections. It gives no indication as to the nature of the great music lurking within. Nor do the sleevenotes contribute much to selling the album. The redeeming feature is, therefore, the music, and Heid is taking his Hammond B3 off in new directions. The band, essentially a four piece, provides excellent support for each other, and for Heid himself. Drummer Randy Gelespie fits in closely with what's going on around him. Trumpet player Joe Magnarelli is excellent as well, at times swinging, appropriately laid back where he needs to be. He meshes well with Saxophone player Scott Peterson who can play hard when required, but also provides excellent harmonies. The star, however, remains Heid, whose B3 style is developing with every outing. He's not an aggressive player, but stamps himself all over the eight self penned tracks on offer. Favourites are the title track "Da Girl", more mellow than the title might suggest, "Peach Cobbler" with added congas and percussion and "Spirit of Newark" at 9.09 the longest track, but possibly the most well developed, and displaying well the cohesion of the group. However, there's not a poor track on the album, and shows Heid as the B3 innovator he's becoming. Forget the cover and the sleeve notes and you have an excellent, often mellow, album that deserves wider recognition and plaudits."