Search - Wynton Marsalis :: Soul Gestures 1: Thick in the South

Cool and melancholic

Tracher | Skopje, Macedonia | 03/23/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Two words: great album!
Lay down and relax, it will clear your head, no doubt about it. This is for those hot days or even better hot nights to cool you down. Practically an all-ballad CD, blues influenced and the guys aren't rushing things so it's pretty slow. Hard to pick a favorite, because they're all good. And how can they be not when there's Wynton Marsalis (trumpet); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Marcus Roberts (piano); Bob Hurst (bass); Elvin Jones, Jeff Watts (drums). Well if a had to pick a favorite I'd say it's `So This Is Jazz. Huh' or `L.C. on the cut'. Wynton Marsalis and the blues."

Outstanding!

Norman Perry | 03/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of Marsalis' best and unfortunately gets overlooked too often. It bootysmacks!"

Good, but not great

Zzonkmiles | 07/06/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Although most critics believe Wynton Marsalis's "Thick in the South" is the strongest third of his grossly underrated "Soul Gestures In Southern Blue" series, I must disagree. The band plays well, but the songs just aren't as gripping as the other ones are in volumes 2 and 3 (Uptown Ruler and Levee Low Moan, respectively).



The strongest part of this album is easily the title track. Wynton wastes no time busting into his high-octane solo, which is followed by an equally intense performance by Joe Henderson. The original version of "So This Is Jazz, Huh?" is also a part of this album, but it pales in comparison to the second version on "Levee Low Moan".



Overall, with the exception of the title track, this is only a lukewarm album. If the title track did not exist, then I would not recommend it."