Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Don Byron: Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker

251

Don Byron: Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker

By

Sign in to view read count
Don Byron: Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker
Clarinetist Don Byron is proof that one can be a serious musician and still have fun. A member of Mensa, he's a composer of "serious music like A Ballad for Many (Cantaloupe, 2006). Still, anyone who was at his Montreal Jazz Festival show this past summer knows that, whether he's reinventing Afro-Cuban music on Music for Six Musicians (Nonesuch, 1995) or mixing up Puccini with the Four Tops on Arias and Lieder (Blue Note, 1999), he's also got a down-to-earth sense of humor.

He's also someone who likes a good time, and Do the Boomerang is the closest thing to a party record he's ever made. This tribute to the late R&B icon Junior Walker isn't some kind of soul-jazz hybrid; it's rough-and-ready, down-and-dirty rhythm and blues—as it should be.

Best known as a clarinetist, Byron has picked up the tenor saxophone in recent years, specifically on his multigenerational Ivey Divey (Blue Note, 2004). Here it's his main axe and, as was the case with his tribute to Lester Young's trio with pianist Nat "King Cole and drummer Buddy Rich, he's done his homework. He may be a virtuoso player with a broad vernacular, but here it's all about blues and, with very rare exception, he sticks faithfully with the language.

The fact, though, is that so many of R&B's best artists have had more than a passing acquaintance with jazz, and the reverse is also true. Ornette Coleman, after all, started out in Texas R&B bands. Byron's core group—guitarist David Gilmore, organist George Colligan, bassist Brad Jones and drummer Rodney Holmes—may all be better known for working in the jazz sphere, but here they're totally credible, grooving hard throughout. With this music, it's not the notes you play so much as how you play them, and everyone solos with a conviction that makes you feel as though they've been doing this all their lives.

It's surprising just how many of Walker's songs have worked their way into the collective unconscious. Even those who aren't R&B fans will be surprised at the familiarity of almost the entire set, with songs like the funky "Shotgun, (with guest singer Dean Bowman), up-tempo "Pucker Up, Buttercup and soulful "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) (both featuring singer Chris Thomas King) high points of a strong set that's virtually impossible to resist.

Everyone shines and solos abound, but these twelve songs clock in at just under 52 minutes, so this is no blow-fest. It's more about the vibe, the groove and the songs. At the live dates coming up in the next few months, there'd better be room for people to dance, because Do the Boomerang is a booty-shaking disc that few will be able to resist.

Track Listing

Cleo's Mood; Ain't That the Truth; Do the Boomerang; Mark Anthony Speaks; Shotgun; There It Is; Satan's Blues; Hewbie Steps Out; Pucker Up, Buttercup; Tally-Ho; What Does It Take (To Win Your Love); (I'm a) Roadrunner.

Personnel

Don Byron
clarinet

Don Byron: tenor saxophone, clarinet (3), bass clarinet (11); Curtis Fowlkes: trombone (6,11); David Gilmore: guitar; George Colligan: Hammond B-3 organ; Brad Jones: bass; Rodney Holmes: drums, tambourine; Chris Thomas King: vocals (3,6,9,11), guitar (3,11); Dean Bowman: vocals (1,5,6,12).

Album information

Title: Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Blue Note Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.