Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Doug Raney: The Backbeat

181

Doug Raney: The Backbeat

Doug Raney: The Backbeat
Some how out of the lineage of significant jazz guitarists, the late Jimmy Raney gets left out of the mix. In equal fashion, it seems like his son Doug suffers from the same lack of awareness on the part of the general jazz public. Doug’s choice to reside in Denmark probably doesn’t help the recognition factor either. Fortunately, SteepleChase has chosen on several occasions to provide a recorded forum for the younger Raney’s creative muse.

Opting for a different line-up then utilized on his past SteepleChase efforts, Raney chooses to work in the organ combo format for The Backbeat. In the label’s entire catalog, this marks only the third time a B-3 would be on hand and the second appearance by De Francesco, the other two occasions both being Dave Stryker projects. It proves to be a winning combination, with Raney’s melodic warmth complimented nicely by Joey’s bop histrionics.

As I listen to the relaxed lilt of “Jimmy James” (an original by Doug written for his late dad and his young son) the idea of this perfect combination becomes even more apparent. DeFrancesco keeps the bass plump and full each time the four-chord vamp comes around and even with all his technical ability, Raney takes his time and unfold his own story with patience. Hart is a model of heartening support throughout. He also creates great interest through his imaginative use of cymbal timbres. Other winners are Horace Silver’s title track and Herbie Hancock’s “Driftin’”. But then again, everything here comes out fitting as comfortably as a favorite old flannel shirt.

Track Listing

Love For Sale, Jimmy James, Prelude To a Kiss, The Backbeat, Purple Eyes, Lee, Driftin

Personnel

Doug Raney
guitar

Doug Raney- guitar, Joey DeFrancesco- organ, Billy Hart- drums

Album information

Title: The Backbeat | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: SteepleChase Records

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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

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.