VICTOR BAILEY
That's Right (ESC Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Bassist Victor Bailey has assembled a cast of fusion stars for his latest release, including his old Weather Report bandmate, drummer Omar Hakim, who splits the tracks with Lenny White, whose credits include a stint with Return to Forever. Saxmen Bennie Maupin and Bill Evans, guitarist Dean Brown and keyboardist Jim Beard round out the ensemble. If fusion once implied a blend of jazz and rock, though, this time the jazz improvisations are welded to a framework of pure funk. Eight new Bailey compositions are augmented by a George Clinton cover that fits comfortably in the thick groove that Bailey pounds out of his signature Fender bass.

That thread of funk gives the music a foot tapping, butt shaking quality that makes this album a relative rarity in contemporary jazz. It's jazz music, uncompromised jazz music, that you can really dance to. That's a good thing that jazz could use a great deal more of. Whenever jazz has reached a popular peak, whether during the swing era or the soul jazz crossovers of the sixties, it's been because jazz musicians found a way to appeal to the audience on a physical, as well as mental and emotional, level. If you like to move to a groove, this disc is going to appeal to you.

This is another US release from the German label ESC, who are making major inroads to the stateside jazz scene with a series of outstanding contemporary releases. Everything I've heard from the label has been outstanding so far, and That's Right is no exception.

Track List:

Goose Bumps * Knee Deep/One Nation Medley * Where's Paco? * Joey * Nothing But Net * The Rope-A-Dope * Steamy * Black On The Bach * That's Right!

© 2001 - Shaun Dale