Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2019 April 10 • Wednesday

Here's a record that all fans of jazz organ - guitar - drums trios will want to hear: Rieber Hovde's Organic Sound.

I'm generally up for anything in this genre but I was also intrigued by the presence of Howard Roberts, whom I know mostly as a session musician. Hovde plays some other keyboards besides organ.

This was recorded sometime in the 1970s, "live at the Sea Wolf Restaurant" in Oakland, CA, and the audience is present throughout.

The first thing you'll notice is how amazing Ed Thigpen is. And you'll never stop noticing it.

The first few tracks make it clear that Hovde and Roberts are also extremely strong and sensitive players. But it's on the Hovde original "Avenida Atlantica" that Roberts really blasts off, beginning with some phenomenal comping before launching a devastating guitar solo, as virtuosic and inventive as it is tasteful and soulful. This track, the last on Side A, ends in a fade out, which is a shame.

The whole record is a solid thrill and it ends on an especially powerful note, with a bluesy "Greensleeves".