One of the greatest albums ever from pianist Ronnie Kole – a hip cat who played heavily on the New Orleans scene of the 60s and 70s – but who also had a soulful sound that was much more in keeping with piano work from the Windy City! This set has a nice crackle from the start – and although some of the cuts are ballads, Ronnie still brings in this gentle swing that's mighty nice – a bit in the way that Ramsey Lewis or Ahmad Jamal might have handled the cuts for Chess Records in the mid 60s – with a similarly hip approach to soul jazz. Some cuts feature a bit of added instrumentation from arranger Charlie Brent – and titles include the sweet "Great Stone Bottle", which has a nice break and some organ in the background – plus "Love Story", "Close to You", "Secret of My Soul", "My Sweet Lord", "He Ain't Heavy", and a groovy cover of "Sesame Street"!
(Side 2 has a mark that clicks on track six. Cover has a cutout hole, a spot of tape with a rip on the spine, and a small sticker on the back. Label has a small sticker.)
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