Bill Evans: Soul Insider (2000)

Tenor and soprano saxophonist Bill Evans has always been one of jazz's most forward-thinking and prolific musicians; yet, he's also one of its most undervalued. Pursuing contrasting styles and sounds, accompanied by his scorching, soulful technique, Evans has courted jazz-rap (Escape), all- acoustic bop (Starfish and the Moon), and neo-smooth jazz (Touch). With skills honed in the furnaces of Miles Davis's groups and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Evans has addressed commercial concerns but has also made time to blow mean music and push the boundaries. Soul Insider is a bump- righteous, soul-jazz affair as funky as a Blues Brothers record, but as smooth as silk and cigar smoke. Surrounding himself with a crack band, including guitarist John Scofield, organist Ricky Peterson, percussionist Don Alias, and heroic funk-drummer supreme, Steve Jordan, Soul Insider simmers slowly to the boiling point. It's a rare record where everyone actually grooves like mad in the studio live, and tracks such as "Van's Joint" and "Cool Eddie" pump like Booker T & the MGs injected with NYC grease and gravy. Les McCann adds vocals on "Lose My Number" and "You Sure Look Good to Me," bringing a good-natured glee to the rumpus-room funk. "Cheeks" recalls early David Sanborn or classic King Curtis or Aretha, while "Sneaky" is drenched in a nocturnal urban edge, as is the sweltering "Older Days." Evans blows hot and boisterous throughout, raising high this squirming soul soufflé. --Ken Micallef

Tracklist:

1. Vans Joint
2. Cool Eddie
3. Lose My Number
4. Cheeks
5. You Sure Look Good to Me
6. Big Mama
7. Sneaky
8. Gimme Some
9. Older Days
10. Thump
11. The Shorty Shuffle

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Les McCann: Music Box (1984)

Soulful keyboardist's long absence from recording doesn't dampen a lively crowd reaction in this live club set, which showcases his current quartet on a mostly jazz-flavored program. Solid production, too.

Tracklist:

A1 Intro: Memory Of Compared To What 2:35
A2 Elephant Strut 8:51
A3 Blue & Boogie 8:27
B1 All Strung Out On You (Instrumental) 10:10
B2 Bat Yam 5:53
B3 Outro: Memory Of Compared To What 2:53
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Les McCann: Change Change Change (Live At The Roxy) (1977)

Armed with an outboard horn section, McCann and his band cut loose at the Roxy club in West Hollywood with a furious energy that owes more to rock than at any other time in McCann's career. The gig starts off with a bang of excitement on the title track, and that streak hardly lets up throughout the record, although a couple of leisurely soul ballads let a bit of the steam out. It's also fun to hear preacher McCann toying with the crowd on "The Song of Love." Alas, the energy turns into overkill on the retooling of "North Carolina," which is far too frantically paced to permit it to groove. Guitarists Nick Kirgo and Steuart Leibig, and the drumming of Kevin Johnson, provide a lot of this rock fire; as a result, the funky side of McCann is not too much in evidence here.

Tracklist:
A1 Change, Change, Change
A2 I Don't Want To Say Goodbye To A Brother
A3 North Carolina
A4 The Roller
B1 Rid Of Me
B2 I Never Thought That You Would Go
B3 The Song Of Love
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