Search - Sonny Phillips :: Legends of Acid Jazz

GOOD SOUL JAZZ ORGAN COMBO SETS THE GROOVE

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 11/10/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One disc 70 minutes in length approximately. The sound has been remastered from the original tapes,which were recorded by Rudy Van Gelder. Each instrument,from the bass to the guitar to the horns are clear and distinct. This release comprises two albums-"Sure 'Nuff",and "Black On Black". The collective personnel are:Sonny Phillips-organ (all tracks),Houston Person and Rusty Bryant-tenor sax,Virgil Jones-trumpet,Bernard Purdie-drums,Joe Jones and Melvin Sparks-guitar,and Jimmy Lewis and Bob Bushnell-electric bass.



The compositions are by Sonny Phillips (6 of the 10 tracks),and one each by Sonny Rollins ("Oleo"),and Grant Green ("Blues in Maude's Flat"),John Fogerty ("Proud Mary"),and James Lewis ("The Doll House"). However,it doesn't really matter who the composer is,for Phillips puts his own sound on each track. With the help of some of the better "soul-jazz" players of the time,this is a good example of the type of music popular with quite a few listeners who did not like true jazz,or had not heard of people like Jimmy Smith et al.



This is music that swings (Phillips was heavily influenced by Jimmy Smith)much like the best jazz organ combos did at the time,and,to some extent,still do. Both these albums were recorded in 1969-70,when this style music was very popular. Much of it sounds similar to Smith and others of the time,but there's more of a soul feel than straight ahead jazz. If you're looking for some good music that isn't demanding-just good groovy,swinging sounds,this is it. All the tracks are taken at a medium/fast tempo,with the exception of some slow blues numbers,which allows Phillips to lay down his earthy Hammond B-3 sounds,along with his band (especially Boogaloo Jones,Sparks,and Person) mates. The rhythm section on both these releases are no slouches either-"Pretty" Purdie pushes everything along nicely. Another plus is that most tracks are fairly long,giving the band time to really set things up. This is the type of music that seems to grow on you the more you listen to it-and that's a good thing. This is for listeners who like their jazz with a lot of warmth that oozes from the speakers. Jazz with not only a beat,but with a heartbeat. Sonny Phillips should be more well known. Listen to this and find out why."