Groove Factor are a European jazz quartet focusing on jazz-funk, soul-jazz, and a little R&B, mixing a few originals along with covers. With Pierre Swärd on Hammond B-3 (and occasional vocals), guitarist
Ulf Wakenius, alto saxophonist
Håkan Broström, and drummer
Jonas Johansen, the group opens with Swärd's greasy "Organ Funk." Their arrangements of pianist
Horace Silver's "Filth McNasty" and "Blowin' the Blues Away" retain the drive of the original recordings, even without the composer's prominent piano.
Wakenius' solo performance of
Stevie Wonder's "Too High" is worth the purchase price of the CD, while the guitarist's composition "New York on My Mind" is a high-octane blues. Unfortunately, the plodding treatment of
B.B. King's "Dance with Me" and monotonous rendition of
Spooner Oldham's "Everything I Am," both featuring Swärd's forgettable vocals, wear out their welcome quickly. But a few misfires hardly keep
Filthy McNasty from being a worthwhile investment. ~ Ken Dryden