Search - Lenny Breau :: Mosaic

Bless you, Randy.

Chadner Weems | Chicago | 10/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Wow. What a treat. Lenny and Phil Upchurch pumping out Ramsey Lewis' "The In Crowd"? And Lenny rifling off one of his tastiest solos ever just when you think he is totally out of the tune? Oh man. Does it get any better? That track is worth the purchase price, but there's more! A wacky, disorganized, rambling acid-raga-rock piece from 1968 (a different version of the Ravi Shankar tribute on Lenny's "Velvet Touch" live album). Interesting for Lenny fans, but ultimately forgettable. Last I remembered, "Blues For Carole" was on "The Living Room Tapes", so why we needed that again is a little mystifying, although it is a fun blues romp with Brad Terry on clarinet and demonic whistle. I could have also done without the excerpt from Lenny's still-available "Cabin Fever" disc; not because I don't enjoy that album, but because I would have preferred an entire disc of previously unreleased material--especially when one is always reading about how many Lenny tapes Randy supposedly has. The alternate take of "Georgia" from Lenny's debut "Guitar Sounds" is the best music on the disc and an incredible reminder of that magical early Lenny trio. Topping everything off are two spoken word pieces: a heartfelt remembrance from Phil Upchurch and a stoned-out Lenny yanking somebody's chain over the phone. The Upchurch piece is a nice addition to the series of spoken word Lenny histories that Randy has included on his Breau discs, but the Lenny answering machine track (although a hoot the first time you hear it) gets a little stale the second time around. If it had just been the sole "In Crowd" track, I would give this five stars. It's a fun jumble for Lenny fans that doesn't quite hang together, but some bright flashes. Recommended."