Search - Lenny Project White :: Tribute to Earth Wind & Fire

Tribute to "Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire"

Steve Spencer | Little Rock, AR | 03/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I checked out the line-up for this project I started to drool. Sounded like a dream come true. E,W&F have always had a strong jazz element running through their music, but I'm wary of any "Smooth Jazz" treatments. The choice of songs is incisive; they're not all the obvious tunes. The playing here is all first rate. I forget how nice an acoustic pianist Patrice Rushen can be. Lots of tasty guitar work. I'm a jazz freak, and an E,W&F freak, so my expectations are SKY HIGH. This CD cooks. I'm wearing it out. That said, when I saw that Wallace Roney and Roy Hargrove were involved I envisioned some unison or harmony horn lines, either some of the famous E,W&F lines or some related instrumental riffs. Roney and Roy take some pleasing solos, but they're not integral to the arrangements.



If they'd have worked the horns in as a unit on a couple of the tracks this would be a through the roof Five Star rating."