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British Jazz Artists Vol 3/Street Of Dreams

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Two rare British jazz albums from the 70s – back to back in a single set! First up is British Artists No 3 – a swet by the combo of lesser-known drummer Martin Drew – a group that features some great older Brit jazz talents who include John Taylor on piano, Brian Smith on saxes, Ron Mathewson on bass, and Bill LeSage on vibes! LeSage did all the arrangements for the record, and he sets the group up in a pretty groovy mode – echoes of bossa jazz on some numbers, and sweet modal moments on others – all of which are a perfect setting for his own excellent work on vibes! Smith plays both tenor and soprano sax – the latter of which we really like – and Taylor also plays some surprisingly great electric piano at points. Titles include "Easy Life", "Strut", "Re-Rev", "No More Blues", "A Child Is Born", and "Sound Down". Tony Lee follows with Street Of Dreams – a late 70s session that features his hip piano trio, plus a bit of extra congas as well! The set's got a stripped-down groove that's really great – a style that almost takes us back to some 60s piano-plus percussion outings, were it not for the use of electric piano on a few numbers too! Lee's got an inherent sense of rhythm that has most numbers vamping and comping along nicely – and titles include "Dick's Mood", "Love For Sale", "Lil Darlin", "Loss Of Love", and "On Green Dolphin Street".  © 1996-2010, Dusty Groove America, Inc.