On the first track, "School's Out (Benji's Theme)"
Laws's flute sails above a buoyantly funky groove that's
almost impossible not to tap to your toes to.
Things slow down and get late night and sensual for
"I'm Your Fool (Butler's Theme)", which features some
great tenor sax playing by either Plas Johnson or Herman Riley.
(Both are on here and I can't swear that it's Plas.) Laws also takes a fine flute solo.
"Tiger's Pad" leads with the vibes playing of either Victor
Feldman or Richard Lepore and is a laid back but groovy and smokey
jazz lounge number that wouldn't have been out of place (except
for sounding a little too ahead of its time stylistically) in the Peter
Gunn soundtrack. There's some great guitar playing by Barry Finnerty.
Things get a little more energetic with "Trackin'", which is kind of
mixture of funk and jazz with a bebop edge. The tenor sax flexes some muscle
here and the rhythm section is right on it, as they are on all these tracks.
There's also another great guitar solo.
Side A concludes with the tender and beautiful "Rehabilitation", a
hauntingly sweet tune with both melancholy and optimistic strains running
through it. Hubert Laws is the main voice here.
The B side opens with the sunny and jazzy "Drop and Pop" which has a
bit of gospel in it and features great piano playing from Marc Grey as well
as a great vibes solo.
"Somebody Right Now" is a relaxed jazz tune, almost a ballad but not quite.
It's quiet and gentle with a lilting rhythm, good for late night dancing,
featuring vibes and once again benefiting from the team of Michael Richmond
on bass and Victor Lewis on drums.
This is followed by another gentle and easygoing tune, "Something To
Feel Good", introduced by more of Barry Finnerty's tasty guitar playing
and with sax playing that sounds very much like the one and only Plas Johnson to me.
This is another romantic-sounding late-night mood.
After that comes "I Can't Leave You, Sweets", which sounds like a straight
continuation of the last piece, same mood, same feel, same key, same everything,
Plas still soloing brilliantly.
And then the record comes to an end with a reprise of "I'm Your Fool (Butler's Theme)".
It's a great album and an expanded CD of it would be most welcome.