Reuben Wilson • Blue Mode

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

If Love Bug skirted the edges of free jazz and black power, Blue Mode embraces soul-jazz and Memphis funk in no uncertain terms. Opening with the cinematic, stuttering "Bambu" and running through a set of relaxed, funky grooves -- including covers of Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood" and Edwin Starr's "Twenty-Five Miles" -- Blue Mode isn't strictly a jazz album, but its gritty, jazzy vamps and urban soul-blues make it highly enjoyable. Reuben Wilson has a laid-back, friendly style and his supporting band -- tenor saxophonist John Manning, guitarist Melvin Sparks, and drummer Tommy Derrick -- demonstrate a similarly warm sense of tone. While none of them break through with any improvisations that would satiate hardcore jazz purists, they know how to work a groove, and that's what makes Blue Mode a winner.

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Reseña de Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Si Love Bug eludió los límites del free jazz y el black power, Blue Mode abraza el soul-jazz y el funk de Memphis en términos inequívocos. Abriendo con el cinematográfico y tartamudo "Bambu" y corriendo a través de un conjunto de relajados y funky grooves -- incluyendo covers de "Knock on Wood" de Eddie Floyd y "Twenty-Five Miles" de Edwin Starr -- Blue Mode no es estrictamente un álbum de jazz, pero sus arenosos vampiros de jazzy y soul-blues urbanos lo hacen altamente disfrutable. Reuben Wilson tiene un estilo relajado y amistoso y su banda de apoyo - el saxofonista tenor John Manning, el guitarrista Melvin Sparks, y el baterista Tommy Derrick - demuestran un sentido del tono similarmente cálido. Aunque ninguno de ellos se abre paso con improvisaciones que saciarían a los puristas del jazz hardcore, saben cómo trabajar el groove, y eso es lo que hace que Blue Mode sea un ganador.

Tracks:
1. Bambu
2. Knock on Wood
3. Bus Ride
4. Orange Peel
5. Twenty-Five Miles
6. Blue Mode

REUBEN WILSON, organ
JOHN MANNING, tenor sax
MELVIN SPARKS, guitar
TOMMY DERRICK, drums

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, December 12, 1969.

 

 

 

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