Wonderful! DEEP BLUE ORGAN TRIO
Jazzed-up Stevie Wonder makes perfect sense, and that’s exactly what this Chicago-based trio has done on Wonderful!, which currently occupies No. 4 on the JazzWeek Jazz Chart. While guitarist-producer Bobby Broom doesn’t purposely lag behind the beat a la Grant Green, his swagger would sometimes have you believe so. Having spent some time alongside Sonny Rollins, Broom is the best-known member of the group. I love his comping on this album, but it’s Chris Foreman’s Hammond B3 organ that shines and bubbles, most memorably on set opener “Tell Me Something Good.”
There’s not a lot of high math, bebop-style runs in the solos. Rather the opposite—space, sustain and well-placed dissonance with enough time to comprehend its brilliance. Also among the 70s-era Wonder selections is the slow-burning, wine-sipping “My Cheri Amour,” the cooking “Jesus Children of America,” and a nicely syncopated treatment of the hit, “Golden Lady.” This is a groove album that’s a must have for your collection.
By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com)
tags: jackson hole music band songwriter nightlife wyoming center arts photographer musician planet teton venues