Reviews Written By: A3JO106IYW3BAWprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | John Mayall - Jazz Blues Fusion | |
 | "One of Mayall's best" | 2009-02-07 |
| John Mayall has had a long history of Brit Blues and skirted the edges of jazz many times. On this album he brings the two genres together with a great lineup of performers: Mayall: harmonica, guitar and piano Blue Mitchell: Trumpet Clifford Solomon and Ernie Watts: Sax Ron Selico: Percussion Freddy Robinson: Guitar and the best for last...Larry Taylor: Bass. I plead guilty to being a bassist. Taylor is the best in my book and he demonstrates it on this album. Along with Ron Selico they provide an unshakable foundation for the rest of the performers. Taylor's adaptability to many different genres is demonstrated here as he and Mayall slide from the traditional I-IV-V blues patterns to almost free-form jazz. Each track has its own "personality" as is the case with most of Mayall's albums. Country Road starts with a blues format that combines the British and Chicago styles. Mess Around moves a little closer to R&B and reminds me of Junior Wells Messin' With the Kid. Good Times Boogie's awesome bass line and guitar solo jump right into a jazz format. Change Your Ways has a watermelon flavor; Dry Throat starts out as a slow blues piece but the horns add a definite jazz sound. Mayall blows his brains out with Exercise in C for Harmonica with harp and "mouth percussion" that made Room to Move so interesting and Taylor's bass solo shows off his generally under-rated virtuosity in a pure jazz piece. Finally, Got to be This Way begins with Mayall's signature style of the blues, then adds a jazz component with the horn, guitar and bass solos. Considering that this album was recorded in 1972, it amazes me with the "maturity" of the music it contains. If you're a traditional 12-bar blues fan, you might not enjoy it as much as some of Mayall's other albums. But if you enjoy great music and performance by some of the best non-mainstream musicians in these genres, then you'll probably love it as much as I do. | ||
 | Best Damn Garage in Town: The World According to Smokey | |
| "Tellin it like it is" | 2003-11-08 |
| Smokey tells it just like he sees it. No political correctness here. If he thinks something stinks, he says so. He has no love lost for Bill France and company, but respects many others. His writing style is straight to the point, amusing and raw. But it's the way he sees things...and he repeats that point...that it's just his opinion and urges the reader to make up their own mind. I highly recommend this set. And I salute you, Smokey. | ||
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