Some older jazzmen like to feature a lot of young unknowns -- they figure that because someone gave them a break when they were young, they should do the same thing now that they're well established. While that is admirable, there is also something to be said for surrounding yourself with people who have proven track records in your field.
Jimmy McGriff's field is soul-jazz/hard bop, and most of the people he employs on
Feelin' It have strong credentials in that area -- including guitarist
Melvin Sparks and saxmen
David "Fathead" Newman,
Ronnie Cuber, and
Bill Easley. The producer,
Bob Porter, has worked with countless soul-jazz artists, while
Rudy Van Gelder is bop's most famous engineer of all time. One greets
Feelin' It with high expectations, and
McGriff doesn't let the listener down. Nothing groundbreaking occurs, but the organist and his sidemen bring a lot of enthusiasm to material that includes
Miles Davis' "All Blues,"
Stanley Turrentine's "Stan's Shuffle," and
Paul Mitchell's "Hard Times" (which
Newman defined back in 1958). Equally rewarding is
McGriff's interpretation of the standard "Just in Time," which gets a laid-back bossa nova makeover. "Just in Time" is the album's most surprising track but, on the whole, the word "surprising" doesn't describe
Feelin' It.
McGriff was 64 when this CD was recorded in 2000 and, at that age, he wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel. But his fans expected him to provide soul-jazz/hard bop that was solid and consistent;
Feelin' It definitely fits that description.
–
Alex Henderson, Rovi