Bringin' It Home

Bringin' It Home

Organist Jack McDuff may be known mostly for introducing the world to guitarist George Benson in the early 1960s, but he's also always been a funky jazz organist of the first rank. Both sides of McDuff's legacy are on display on his new <I>Bringin' It Home</I>, and the result is a blues, jazz, and funk-drenched album that sounds like it was cut at a smoky after-hours party. With Benson guesting on three tracks, and saxophonist Red Holloway and guitarist Mark Whitfield on several more, <i>Bringin' It Home</i> has the feel of a family reunion where everyone knows each other and every lick is tasty. Benson's stunning solo on "Summertime" is enough to reestablish his place in the jazz guitar pantheon, and Holloway's playing is fiery throughout. Whitfield holds his own and then some with a head-turning solo on "Girl Talk." But the real star is McDuff, whose sumptuous Hammond B-3 style dominates whether providing a backdrop for his capable sidemen or stepping out with tasty solos on tunes like Eddie Harris's "Cold Duck Time" or his own "The Scratch." <I>--Ezra Gale</I>