Mr. Shing-a-Ling cover

Mr. Shing-a-Ling

Released

Classic late ‘60s Blue Note soul jazz from one of the best to ever do it, alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, amply supported by funky jazz superstars Hammond player Lonnie Smith and drummer Idris Muhammad. In an album full of top-quality small-combo playing and virtuoso improvisation, laidback but rock-solid 12-bar funky organ-jazz killer Peepin’ is the stand-out track here, an exemplar of what would be christened acid jazz two decades later. Smith’s organ riff at the centre of the tune, halfway between Miles’s So What and James Brown’s Cold Sweat, serves as a low-slung rhythmic base for the band to execute their funk-filled, swinging solo spots, and Donaldson’s Ode To Billy Joe cover takes the same splendidly languid approach. The Humpback and The Kid both groove along at a much faster tempo, and the band even bring a hint of their funk to their take on the smooth The Shadow of Your Smile. A groove-heavy, head-nodding, high-level soul jazz album that remains a joy to listen to.

Harold Heath

Suggestions
Shaft cover

Shaft

Bernard Purdie
Higher Ground cover

Higher Ground

Johnny Hammond
Cosmos cover

Cosmos

Lou Donaldson
Make the Road by Walking cover

Make the Road by Walking

Menahan Street Band
Come to My Garden cover

Come to My Garden

Minnie Riperton
Live at the Bijou cover

Live at the Bijou

Grover Washington Jr.
Damisi cover

Damisi

Harold Land
Senyah cover

Senyah

Roy Haynes
Superfunk cover

Superfunk

Funk, Inc.
Music of My Mind cover

Music of My Mind

Stevie Wonder