Music Soup: Upbeat Mood

Upbeat Mood from Music Soup, comprised of Athens, Greece-based guitarist Nestor Dimopoulos, Hammond B-3 organist Evgenia Karlafti and drummer Vagelis Kotzabasis, delivers eight enjoyable and upbeat swinging selections. Seven are originals from either Dimopoulos, Karlafti alone, or co-written. There is intelligent playing and fine soloing throughout.

"Korean Apartment" opens things and is a fast straight-ahead burner. Dimopoulos states the melody before stretching on an extended solo. Evgenia Karlafti's organ comps in both counterpoint and chordal pops, as well as providing deep-swinging bass lines. She solos using both pin-point fragments and extended lines. Drummer, Kotzabasis leans and pushes things up to a press roll and final melodic statement. Studio microphones pick up a voice offering acknowledgement of a good take. "A Day in the Park" is a sway-stroll with Dimopoulos and Karlafti alternating over Kotzabasis' brushes. This is a Dimopoulos original. The vibe is upbeat and swinging. Karlafti solos with blue overtones, before bringing block chords into the mix. No "stadium organ" here, she cooks. A terrific, engaging track. "Around the World" brings the pace back up with a bit of a Latin vibe. Guest Kym Purling joins the trio on piano before Karlafti's B-3 and Dimopoulos offer rides.

Dimopoulous makes no effort to withhold his admiration for hard-bop guitarists such as Grant Green, pre-Verve Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. He is a technical master, deftly constructing his solos forays. Karlafti is an obvious acolyte of the great Blue Note organists Jimmy Smith and Big John Patton et al. With Joey DeFrancesco sadly gone, Karlafti (along with Tony Monaco is a Hammond talent worthy of note. Kotzabasis is very much in uno with his bandmates.

"My Little Red Book," a rather obscure Burt Bacharach-Hal David song is a varied piece with a pulsed melody, up-tempo with non-traditional chord changes. It is a lesser track on the album. "Freeland (To OP With Love)" is Karlafti's homage to pianist Oscar Peterson The composition's title is a combination of Peterson titles "Hymn to Freedom" and "Wheatland." Karlafti's take is expansive with a light rock-gospel groove. She offers the melody over same before Dimopoulos and the organist offer longer solos.. "Fun Island" is a lighter rock track which adds Kym Purling's piano to the organ trio. After a line cliché intro Dimopoulos states the catchy melody before soloing. Karlafti adds organ soul before Purling also rides. And what would a 1960s Blue Note jazz organ group be without a boogaloo blues side? "Appointment in Athens" here is such a track. The addition of trumpeter Hengry Gergen is a fine production touch. After doubling the hip melody with Dimopoulos and a burner Karlafti solo, he crafts a tasty Lee Morgan-like solo, adding soaring altissimo licks. Dimopoulos joins to add spice to the cooking while rhythm drives things. It is a fine closer.

Upbeat Mood is just that.

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