Arguably the best-ever record cut by American ex-
pat organist Lou Bennett during the years he was living in France. The album features Bennett in an extremely lively setting – grooving away over backing by a hip trio that includes Rene
Thomas on guitar and Kenny Clarke on drums, plus some larger orchestrations directed by Donald Byrd, and featuring "The Paris Jazz All Stars". Bennett's tone is wonderfully lean, stretching out with force on the keys in a way that you don't always get on some of his other albums. The large group tracks are especially wonderful – and recall some of the best Jimmy Smith/
Oliver Nelson sessions, but with a bit of a European jazz rhythm twist – but even the trio tracks are pretty great, and
Thomas' guitar has never sounded tastier. Includes a great reading of Sahib Shihab's "Pieter's Waltz", plus Byrd's "That Preachin Man" and "Pentacostal Feeling", and
Thomas' own "Meeting". And don't worry about any "churchy" cliches – because this one's super-hip!
(Out of print.)