Hank Crawford & Jimmy McGriff - On The Blue Side (1990)

Tracklist

01 - Any Day Now
02 - Jimmy's Groove
03 - The Glory Of Love
04 - You're The One
05 - Tuff
06 - Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
07 - Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
08 - Hank's Groove

personnel :

Hank Crawford - alto saxophone
Jimmy McGriff - organ
Jimmy Ponder - guitar
Vance James - drums

One of the most consistent and most soulful of all jazz altoists, Hank Crawford sounds at his best when he has strong melodies to wrap his tone around, and when he can dig into the blues. Both aspects are true during this quartet outing which he co-leads with organist Jimmy McGriff. Crawford sounds particularly strong on "Jumpin' With Symphony Sid" and "Hank's Groove" and even if "Any Day Now" is a bit of a misfire, the interplay between the altoist and the organist (helped out by guitarist Jimmy Ponder's occasional solos and strong support from drummer Vince James) makes this an excellent soul jazz effort overall. ~ Scott Yanow