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Gerry Wiggins: Wiggin' Out
ByFortunately he’s in good company with Land on tenor and the reliable, if not particularly distinctive, traps work of Mills. Land takes the space afforded by the sparse instrumentation to blow some truly smoking runs and never fails to fashion a soulful groove with his horn. The title track opens with Wiggins’ laying down staccato lines in unison with Land’s fluid tenor. Mills keeps stiff time behind the two before Land opens things up with a protracted swinging solo that is his first of many on the disc. “Teach Me Tonight” slows the momentum to a languid crawl and Wiggins’ wisely eases up on the volume and crafts a solo that strokes the melody with a surprisingly gentle touch. Land enters soon after for another soulful turn before the three players meet, converse briefly, and take the tune out. By the time of “A Night In Tunisia” Wiggins’ has cooled out a bit and his playing benefits from the new found restraint; though there are still flashes of his former exorbitance in the closing choruses. Mills’ drums don’t exactly pass muster on this highly percussive tune, but he still manages to keep a rolling beat for Land to work with. On Wiggins’ “Yes, Dove” the trio moves into mellower waters, but the organist still manages to teeter on the precipice of excess in his playing. With the reading of “Without A Song” the trio builds an introductory Latin-tinged theme statement before diving into the tune proper. It’s a nice closer to an otherwise checkered date and features some of Wiggins’ most convincing playing on the entire disc. Whether this session will be an enjoyable diversion or a disenchanting letdown is largely dependent on where your tastes lie in organ combos.
Track Listing
Wiggin
Personnel
Gerald Wiggins
pianoGerrry Wiggins- Hammond Organ; Harold Land- tenor saxophone; Jackie Mills- drums.
Album information
Title: Wiggin' Out | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Hi Fi Jazz
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