LIVING JAZZ - Memphis Underground (RCA, 1970)

"Memphis Underground"

Living Jazz eran un invento del trompetista y arreglista Phil Bodner, también conocido por estar al frente de otro combo de similares características, The Brass Ring (Los Anillos de Bonce). La bonita portada y el título inducen a pensar que nos vamos a encontrar toques de lisergia o algo parecido pero la realidad es otra, sólo un agradable disco de easy listening con bonitos detalles del teclista, un poco de fuzz ligerito y una aceptable selección del repertorio. La mejor es sin duda la  adaptación del tema de Herbie Mann que se puede escuchar en el reproductor.

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Since its early formative years in New Orleans, jazz has been imbued with an astounding variety of outside influences, absorbing and utilizing features of other musical styles in order to enrich and broaden its own development. Yet, it has always managed to retain its own unique identity, its essence unsubmerged by appearances. Whatever else jazz may seem to be, it is always jazz, always the music of now. 

Rock and bossa nova are two of the more recent contributors to the growth and development of that protean organism we call jazz. Here is particularly fertile ground for the jazzman: the rhythmic, electric excitement of rock and the gentle, lyrical understatement of bossa nova. In the right hands this combination of ingredients promises some very groovy music indeed. 

Which brings us to the present album. Phil Bodner, along with a superbly gifted group of instrumentalists, has come up with an outstanding example of jazz it la mode. The recipe calls for a brimming bagful of choice, Grade A, now hits liberally seasoned with the sounds of rock, a dash of bossa nova and served with a great heaping of jazz soul. 

Included in this collection of tunes are such tasty morsels as Lennon-McCartney's Eleanor Rigby, Otis Redding's (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay, Herbie Mann's Memphis Underground and Nilsson's I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City. Phil Bodner's arrangements are as upto-the-minute as the material itself, and Living Jazz plays them with its customary sound and spirit. 

All in all, MEMPHIS UNDERGROUND stands as living proof of the fact that although the face of jazz may change the groove goes on and on. (Notas contraportada)