Roy Brooks

IMPORT JAPAN LP Obi-strip

4 1/2 STARS ALL MUSIC GUIDE

Groovy, spiritual, and oh so, rare, this live album by drummer Roy Brooks is one of the best to ever come out of the spiritual jazz scene. With a career spanning over 50 years and collaborations with artists like Horace Silver, Stanley Turrentine, Yusef Lateef, and Charles Mingus, Roy Brooks was a foundation and leading force of the jazz scene throughout his entire storied life.

As one of the most talented drummers of any generation, Brooks would lead his own group, the Artistic Truth, and create some of the most invigorating music this side of Ornette Coleman. This recording, taken from a late 1973 show in New York City features Reggie Workman (b), Olu Dara (tp), Joe Bonner (p), Cecil Bridgewater (tp), Sonny Fortune (as), John Stubblefield (ts), and the late great Hammiet Bluiett (bs) working together as a cohesive unit, even welcoming the vocal talents of the legendary Eddie Jefferson at one point. These five tracks, spread over 48 minutes, are packed with so much groove, they could kill a grown man. Don’t miss this iconic album

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1. M'Jumbe
• A2. The Last ProphetV

• SIDE B
• B1. The Smart Set
• B2. Eboness
• B3. Eboness (Kwanza)