Hank Crawford & Jimmy Mcgriff • The Best Of

Review:

Hank Crawford and Jimmy McGriff didn't co-lead a studio date until 1986, when Bob Porter (one of the top producers in the soul-jazz field) produced their Soul Survivors album for Milestone. But alto saxman Crawford and organist McGriff should have recorded together long before that because they have so much in common. Both are soul-jazz/hard bop heavyweights, and both thrive on jazz that is funky, earthy, blues-drenched, and quite accessible; as a rule, blues and R&B lovers who don't care for the more abstract, cerebral styles of jazz have no problem getting into Crawford or McGriff. And they will have no problem getting into this fine collection, which offers a 75-minute sample of material that the veteran improvisers recorded as co-leaders from 1986-1998. Everything on The Best of Hank Crawford and Jimmy McGriff was produced by Porter, who has produced countless soul-jazz sessions over the years. So not surprisingly, this 2001 release is full of state-of-the-art soul-jazz. Crawford and McGriff enjoy a strong rapport whether they are getting into hard-swinging up-tempo fare on "One Mint Julep" (a major hit for Ray Charles in 1961) and Lester Young's "Jumpin' With Symphony Sid" or lyrical ballad playing on "Second Time Around" and "Because of You." None of the material is groundbreaking; in the '80s and '90s, Crawford and McGriff excelled by sticking with the type of down-home stuff they had been embracing since the '50s. The Best of Hank Crawford and Jimmy McGriff isn't difficult, ultra-intellectual jazz that will scare away R&B, rock, and pop fans -- this is grits-and-gravy music, and accessibility is the rule on these inspired Crawford/McGriff encounters.

by Alex Henderson

https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-hank-crawford-and-jimmy-mcgriff-mw0000017212

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Reseña:

Hank Crawford y Jimmy McGriff no codirigieron una cita en el estudio hasta 1986, cuando Bob Porter (uno de los principales productores en el campo del soul-jazz) produjo su álbum Soul Survivors para Milestone. Pero el saxofonista alto Crawford y el organista McGriff deberían haber grabado juntos mucho antes de eso porque tienen mucho en común. Ambos son pesos pesados del soul-jazz y el hard bop, y ambos prosperan con el jazz que es funky, terrenal, impregnado de blues y bastante accesible; por regla general, los amantes del blues y del R&B que no se preocupan por los estilos más abstractos y cerebrales del jazz no tienen problemas para entrar en Crawford o McGriff. Y no tendrán problemas para entrar en esta fina colección, que ofrece una muestra de 75 minutos de material que los improvisadores veteranos grabaron como co-líderes entre 1986 y 1998. Todo lo que hay en The Best of Hank Crawford y Jimmy McGriff fue producido por Porter, que ha producido innumerables sesiones de soul-jazz a lo largo de los años. Así que no es sorprendente que este lanzamiento de 2001 esté lleno de soul-jazz de última generación. Crawford y McGriff disfrutan de una fuerte compenetración, ya sea que se metan en el ritmo de "One Mint Julep" (un gran éxito de Ray Charles en 1961) y "Jumpin' With Symphony Sid" de Lester Young o en la balada lírica de "Second Time Around" y "Because of You". En los 80 y 90, Crawford y McGriff se destacaron por mantener el tipo de material casero que habían adoptado desde los 50. Lo mejor de Hank Crawford y Jimmy McGriff no es difícil, jazz ultra intelectual que asustará a los fans del R&B, el rock y el pop... esto es música con agallas, y la accesibilidad es la regla en estos encuentros inspirados de Crawford y McGriff.

por Alex Henderson

https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-hank-crawford-and-jimmy-mcgriff-mw0000017212

 

 

Tracks:

1 - The Frim Fram Sauce

2 - Because Of You
3 - One Mint Julep
4 - Second Time Around Hank Crawford / Jimmy McGriff SECOND TIME AROUND Lyrics
5 - River's Invitation
6 - Jimmy's Groove
7 - Any Day Now
8 - Jumpin' with Symphony Sid
9 - A Little Bit South of East St. Louis
10 - Mr. P.C.
11 - Bow Legs
12 - Lift Every Voice And Sing

Personnel:
Hank Crawford - alto saxophone
Jimmy McGriff - organ, Hammond B-3 organ
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - drums
Mel Lewis - drums
Vance James - drums
Jimmy Ponder - guitar
Wayne Boyd - guitar
Also: Billy Preston, George Benson, Cornell Dupree

Label: Milestone (Label)
Orig Year:    2001
Release Date: Nov 14, 2001
Producer: Bob Porter
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Recording Time: 75 minutes
Genre: Jazz,
Styles, Hard Bop, Soul Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Saxophone Jazz
Recording Date: January 29, 1986 - November 17, 1998
Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (01/29/1986-11/17/1998)

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