Cold As Weiss

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There are those who believe that organ trios only have so many moves, that their repertoire sounds the same after a while. While there's truth in that—dependent, of course, upon which organ trio—Delvon Lamarr has been smart enough to create variations on his stew of Motown, Booker T. & The MGs, and Jimmy Smith. While not breaking any musical barriers, the resulting funk jams are an immensely fun listen and have a certain retro, life-of-the-party kind of charm. The Seattle-based trio's secret sauce is the interplay between Lamarr, who tends to favor long lines rather than knuckle twisting speed, and guitarist Jimmy James, who has a bluesy single note style but can also break out effects pedals, get funky on rhythm guitar as in "Get Da Steppin'," and most of all, create tight inventive mildly psychedelic solos. Finding and sustaining a groove is the name of the game here and both the opening track "Pull Your Pants Up" and title track generate the funky rhythms with Smith setting a repeated guitar figure for Lamarr to place a simple, repeating descending melody over the top. Smith gets to stretch out extended solos on the measured "Big TT’s Blues."

The most representative track on this entire collection is the aptly named "Slip 'N' Slide" where Lamarr, self-taught on the organ, forcefully chords his way through the melody with Smith doubling on guitar. The ballad "Uncertainty" is a nice change of pace, though it aches, like several of the tracks on Cold As Weiss, for a guest horn player. In the closer "This Is Who I Is," the snappy funk flows before Smith launches into a high solo that turns psychedelic while staying in or near the groove. Titular drummer Dan Weiss, new to the band, is the anchor here, keeping a steady time and rightfully holding a vital place very forward in a mix that features Smith slightly back and Lamarr slightly forward. Although they're potentially in danger of repeating themselves and need fresh flavors soon, this threesome do kindle a convincing groove. © Robert Baird/Qobuz