Harold_Z

Billy Preston functions really well in that role, also.

Yeah...I definitely dig Charlie Hodges. Lays way back and grooves. Jim pretty well summed up context of his playing and how well he plays in that context. I'm wondering if it his Charlie on earlier Hi Records stuff involving Willie Mitchell, stuff like "20-75" and the resultant lp of the same name. If it is him...you get to hear a few solos. .

Joe is a good arranger also.

Jim, No, it's not the same cat. This Joe Thomas is from Newark and has made a bunch of albums for Sonny Lester, among them is "The Ebony Godfather". He's done a lot a gigs with name cats, including Jimmy Smith and he's a regular in the Newark scene. He's a REAL nice cat! He tried having a big band sometime around 1984 or so and I was fortunate enough to have the electric bass chair. Jimmy Anderson, Gene Phipps, Billy Phipps, Herb Robertson and Phillip Harper were also in that band. BTW - Bill Elliot was Dionne Warwick's first husband.

CRAZY BABY gets a lot of play from me. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL and PRAYER MEETIN' are great records. Perhaps CHICKEN SHACK isn't getting as much play as it used to becasue I've heard it TOO much. It really is a good record. Lately I've been checkin' out some of the lower profile things. I really like STANDARDS and JS PLAYS FATS WALLER. As much as I dig hearing Jimmy groove out on a blues, it's nice to hear his approach to standards and his treatment of chord changes.....and .of course, I dig the hell out of his basslines.

Rhoda worked around Newark, NJ a lot in the early 60's before she went to Paris. She may be from Newark. She had a nice little trio with Joe Thomas on Tenor and flute and Bill Elliot on drums. I have one prestige lp of that group - "Live At The Key Club". Good groove album.. Nice basslines - the works. I'll have to check Dusty Groove for more by her. Last I heard she makes periodic trips back to the states for gigs.