Search - Joey Baron :: Down Home

How Refreshing!

tom.rodman@btalexbrown.com | New York | 05/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joey Baron has written and produced a purely refreshing piece of work. While it's elegant in its simplicity, I defy most listeners to count tempo in "What". I still can't find the first beat of the bar. All four musicians are legendary in their own right but there is no showing off here. Truely a CD where less is more . . . so much more."

Funky...groovaholic...oh..baby!!!

jazzsweat@aol.com | Tampa, Florida | 08/26/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How to have the most fun in the world. The instruction are inside. I certainly agree with all the others posting before me. This CD is a must. "What" takes the cake though. It's the most exciting one chord vamp tune I've ever heard ... funk and syncopation never sounded better!"

Funk on the backburner

Douglas T Martin | Alpharetta, GA USA | 02/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joey Baron, one of the most in-demand drummers around, assembles an band of major weight: Arthur Blythe on alto sax, bassist Ron Carter, and guitarist extraordinaire Bill Frisell. The songs, all written by Baron, are mostly either laidback struttin'-it grooves or haunting ballads - quite a contrast. On the struttin' numbers Frisell riffs along, working that one chord for all it's worth until it's time to let loose with a twangy guitar solo. Carter locks in with Baron's drums on the funky numbers and gets suitably mellow on the ballads; on the swinging "Crock Pot" he does some serious walking. Blythe, who is always good, sounds plaintive on the ballads; when it's time to play over the funk he riffs without falling into cliches. Half rent party, half winding-down, "Down Home" is a new type of R&B recording. The same band also contributes to Baron's "We'll Soon Find Out"."