When
Lonnie Smith cut
Boogaloo to Beck in 2003 he made a comeback, though he was never gone in the first place. That record's deeply grooving, funky soul-jazz cut to the chase in a way many jazz organ records hadn't by taking the Blue Note aesthetic of turning the pop tunes of the day -- even those as esoteric as
Beck Hansen's -- and turning them into vehicles for jazz improvisation. On
Jungle Soul, the great organist and his quartet --
Peter Bernstein on guitar, drummer and percussionist
Allison Miller, and rhythm guitarist/producer
Matt Balitsaris -- tackle some jazz standards -- "Bemsha Swing," "Willow Weep for Me," and
Eddie Harris' bona fide soul-jazz classic "Freedom Jazz Dancer" -- and place them against
Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man," and a handful of
Smith originals and come up with a stunner. As the band digs deep into funky twists and turns on the
Gaye number, they come out all sleek and smoky on "Simone," carrying the cut in a minor groove. The title cut is a
Smith tune that swaggers from East to West with an African folk melody held inside a shimmering soul context. The layered percussion in the band's read of
Harris' classic keeps the edges and angles of the original, while lending a finger-popping, booty-shaking strut to its backbeat. The interplay between
Bernstein and
Smith is taut, and full of playful asides. The strange modal guitar part
Bernstein plays on "Bemsha Swing" is in stark contrast to
Smith's for the note head, but it gives the entire track a late-night quality that's a bit more contemplative and moody than
Monk's signature version. But it works beautifully. In sum,
Jungle Soul is among the finer post-1970 records that
Smith has cut, and this band is one of those intuitive, tight, and instinctive quartet's that understands their leader's every move.