Here’s a great concept for an album, and even better yet, they didn’t blow it. Jazz Soul Seven is made up of (mostly LA) jazz stars Terri Lyne Carrington, Russ Ferrante, Master Henry Gibson, Bob Hurst, Wallace Roney, Phil Upchurch and Ernie Watts, and what they did here was go into the songbook of one of the most important soul singers of the 60s and 70s, Curtis Mayfield, and gave the music a nice hard bop groove.
The band, most of which grew up listening to these tunes, are spot on, with a relentless groove on “Freddie’s Dead’ that has Watt’s thick tenor attacking the tune like a street corner preacher. Roney’s trumpet is Kenny Dorham delicate throughout, shining brightest on a testifying “People Get Ready,” and Upchurch’s plucky guitar work on “Keep On Pushing” sounds like skimming rocks on a lake. All throughout, the rhythm team flows like rich maple syrup, sweet, thick and fragrant, with an extra kick on “Superfly.” I’m sure they must have debated on whether to have someone sing these songs, but they made the right choice, with you able to picture Mayfield caressing these tunes in the back of your mind. Who else would even attempt it? Get this one, and fall in love with pop music when it had a real soul, one from the church.
BFM Jazz