Bob Thompson Unit’s “Hit From the Git”
THE CD: “Hit From the Git”
PERFORMER: The Bob Thompson Unit
WEBSITE: www.colortones.com
On “Hit from the Git,” the Bob Thompson Unit’s latest release, the Charleston keyboardist tries to channel jazz legend Herbie Hancock’s funky, soulful sound of the early ’70s. This is a worthy goal: “Head Hunters”-era Hancock represents a pinnacle of groove-based jazz, full of exhilarating melodies and compelling beats.
“Hit from the Git” stumbles a bit out of the gate, with the five-piece band settling into an uptempo groove on the title track that gets buried under an overly ornate melody. Guitarist Ryan Kennedy’s solo is technically impressive but lacks coherence: the licks sound like they were cut and pasted out of a practice book, rather than flowing spontaneously into one another.
“Blues for America,” an almost-eight-minute epic (one of five tunes written by leader Thompson), finds bassist Chris Allen and drummer Tim Courts locked in a plodding groove. While Thompson and alto saxophonist Doug Payne deliver credible solos, the song fails to rise above the lackluster rhythm section. Somebody wake these guys up!
On “Still Waters,” the band hits its stride, digging into Thompson’s meditative ballad and producing soulful solos that command (and reward) the listener’s attention. Kennedy displays a delicate, bluesy touch on the slower song, and his playing is much more tasteful than his shredding on the faster numbers. Payne is also in top form, bending notes into a beautiful line in his elegant solo.
The band also delivers a satisfying version of “Afro Blue,” a Mongo Santamaria song made famous by John Coltrane. Kennedy’s staccato guitar pattern compliments Courts’ polyrhythmic beats, giving Thompson and Payne a fertile backdrop for their lilting, restless solos.
The quintet fares less well on “Donna Lee,” Charlie Parker’s bebop standard written over the chord changes to “Back Home in Indiana.” By slowing the tempo down to a crawl and having piano, guitar and bass play the head in unison, Thompson makes Parker’s soaring line sound like a teaching device. (Note to bassist Allen: A little bit of chromaticism makes a solo interesting. Too much turns it into a practice exercise.)
While the band is clearly talented, what’s missing from most of “Hit from the Git” is the sense of group interplay that makes jazz so exciting. Each musician seems to be performing in a bubble, not playing off of each other. The result is flat and airless: the music never really opens up and breathes.
– By Andrew Clevenger
