Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bobby Timmons Trio: Down In the Bottom

98

Bobby Timmons Trio: Down In the Bottom

By

View read count
Bobby Timmons Trio: Down In the Bottom
Unbeknownst to many, Bobby Timmons was much more than the heavy funk hitman his compositions and playing made him out to be during his lengthy tenure with Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His memorable tunes such as “Moanin’” and ‘Dat Dere” were so infectiously soulful that many among the jazz listening public simply assumed finely crafted groove music was the width and breadth of his muse. Contrary to these contentions Timmons’ talents and interests regularly moved outside this style and he used the string of albums he recorded for Riverside during the 60s as a frequent vehicle to escape his limiting, if enviable, typecast.

The material on this particular disc, recorded in close proximity to Riverside’s demise as a label, languished in the vaults for several years before finally being issued in 1970. The session features Timmons in excellent form. Demonstrating his desire to highlight myriad musical skills and tastes he alternates between piano, vibes and organ on a diverse array of standards. Thrown in for good measure as a nod to his earlier years as one of the hard bop kingpins are a pair of originals- one familiar, one obscure. The standards run the gamut between old show tunes and bossa nova numbers. Timmon’s “Moanin” is given an uncommon, but effective organ combo treatment and the opening “From the Bottom,” the second original, is in a similar gospel-grounded groove, featuring a hip-shaking bass solo from Jones.

Timmons work on the vibes and behind the organ are interesting side notes, but it’s his piano stylings that demands attention. His beautiful playing on the solo “Medley” piece offers all the proof necessary that his technique went far beyond simple, finger-popping funk tunes. Jones and Cobb are, as always, a reliable rhythmic pair and seem intent on giving Timmons the kind of supportive accompaniment he so richly deserves. The disc weighs in a little light on running time, but the music included precludes this minor drawback as a reason to pass this session up. Those who value Timmons’ more famous work with the Messengers will find a similar level of enjoyment with the music on this timely reissue.

Track Listing

From the Bottom/ Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)/ Medley: You

Personnel

Bobby Timmons- piano, vibes, organ; Sam Jones- double bass; Jimmy Cobb- drums.

Album information

Title: Down In the Bottom | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Fantasy Jazz

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.