Joe Henderson - Our Thing _1964_
In a nod to Zeeb's habit of following one album in the Excursions thread with one featuring one of the musicians who played on the previous listing, I broke out this after listening to Black Fire. Henderson and Andrew Hill are on both. At the time, Hill said he and Henderson had a great understanding of one another and worked well together. I can't argue that. They are great together.
Hebden is rolling through here in his Four Tet persona pretty soon. Seems like he is way overdue for something new. I've seen a couple of download only singles from Tet, but that's about it.
We're all in this together - Hard Working Americans
Kind of a super Group. Though barely four years old, the Todd Snider-led jam band supergroup Hard Working Americans have maintained a prolific output, especially for a project that could have easily rested as a pleasant one-off. True to their name, the roots rock sextet — which also features members of Widespread Panic, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and Great American Taxi — keep on rolling with their fourth release, We’re All in This Together, a spirited live set captured during their tour for 2016’s studio album Rest in Chaos.
Grant Green - Am I Blue _1964_
Nice, but not one of my favorites, of the year or by Grant. An album of mellow covers, however well played by fantastic musicians, takes a little steam out of me by the end of things. A good listen, just not in contention.
The way Patton plays the organ here (and I emphasize "here") makes this sound like a cross between a jazz cover band at a local restaurant and the church band taking a break between hymns to unwind by tackling standards. Nothing here is bad, but nothing here excites me.