Return From Overbrook – Last Train From Overbrook/Flute N The Blues

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Last Train From Overbrook, a wonderful album from Moody – one of his "comeback" albums for Chess/Argo, recorded after his release from the Overbrook institution, hence the title. By this point, Moody was writing and playing with much more of an edge than during his bebop days – and the record certainly shows that – not only on the title track "Last Train From Overbrook", a jumpy little number that became one of the big new tunes in Moody's book, but on the whole album, which features some well-conceived large charts written by Johnny Pate. Pate and Moody wrote the bulk of the songs, too – and titles include "Yvonne", "Brother Yusef", "The Moody One", "There She Goes", "Tico Tico", and "Why Don't You". Flute N The Blues is one of James Moody's first albums for Argo – and an album that features him shifting from tenor sax over to flute – and playing in a slyly seductive way that would have great implications for generations of soul jazz musicians for years to come! The sound here is never sleepy – and instead shows the flute to be a perfect vehicle for creating more sensitive colors and tones in jazz – in a way that's also offset by a bit of work on alto and tenor on the album as well. The group features some excellent work from trumpeter Johnny Coles and baritonist Pee Wee Moore – plus some sparkling arrangements from pianist Jimmy Boyd – and Eddie Jefferson joins in on 3 great vocal numbers. Titles include "Birdland Story", "I Cover The Waterfront", "Breaking The Blues", "Easy Living", "Richard's Blues", and "Boo's Tune". 20 tracks in all.  © 1996-2024, Dusty Groove, Inc.
(Out of print.)