Before he became known as “The John Coltrane of the B3” Larry Young was a groovemeister in the vein of Jimmy Smith. This 2 cd set from Fresh Sound Records have him with his working trio of Thornel Schwartz/g, Jimmie smith/dr as well as guests Wendell Marshall/b and Jimmy Forrest/ts in a toe tapper’s heaven from 1960-62.
Young and company preach like a Baptist minister on “Testifying,” bop like Diz on “Wee Dot” and sing like Pagliacci on “Flamingo” with Schwartz showing some sleek moves on “Exercise for Chihuahuas.” With Marshall’s bass adding some “oomph” the team does some snappy work on Horace Silver’s “NIca’s Dream” and sound wonderfully mysterious on “African Blues” and “Minor Dream.” Bill Leslie adds his tenor sax and greases up on “Getting’ Into It” and “Sweet Lorraine” and Jimmy Forrest rolls in like the fog on “ Bag’s Groove” and “Dexter Deck.” How can you not believe in an all wise God when the sound of the tenor sax and B3 can only be described as “heaven sent”? Goes down like Texas BBQ Brisket at Franklin’s.
Fresh Sound Records