Mike LeDonne, who is better known as a pianist, is also a talented organist in the Jimmy Smith/Charles Earland/Don Patterson tradition. His quartet set is straight-ahead hard bop rather than soul-jazz, with excellent solos from LeDonne, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, and guitarist Peter Bernstein (who is particularly strong on "Delilah") and fine support from drummer Joe Farnsworth. Most memorable are a pair of medium-tempo blues ("You'll See" and "Pisces Soul"), "Silverdust" (which is based partly on the chord changes of "King Porter Stomp"), and a cooking version of "Close to You." Although nothing innovative or overly surprising occurs, the music is well played and Alexander in particular has plenty of spirited solos.
Smokin' Out Loud
The Groover Quartet / Mike LeDonne
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Smokin' Out Loud Review
by Scott Yanow
Track Listing
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 07:55 | Amazon | ||||
| 2 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 06:46 | Amazon | ||||
| 3 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 06:48 | Amazon | ||||
| 4 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 04:57 | Amazon | ||||
| 5 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 05:44 | Amazon | ||||
| 6 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 07:23 | Amazon | ||||
| 7 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 09:12 | Amazon | ||||
| 8 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 07:02 | Amazon | ||||
| 9 | Mike LeDonne / The Groover Quartet | 07:26 | Amazon |
