It’s a battle of the sexes at the microphone!
Tad Robinson. Who IS this guy? He’s got a husky voice, sometimes sounding like Tom Garrett of the Classics IV, other moments like a blue eyed Al Green. He’s teamed up with a Memphis Stew sounding team of Johnny Moeller/g, Robb Stupka/dr, Steve Gomes/b, Kevin Anker/key and a horn section that sounds like it came out of the Stax Records studio. He delivers soulful reads of Gomes tunes like the B3 smoky “Soul Lover” and the churchified “Call Me.” Some BB King guitar licks get nice and bluesy on “Lonely Talking” while the horns swagger with Robinson on “While You Were Gone.” The rock steady rhythm team stomps like they’re backing Wilson Picket on “Need some Better” and the whole band sways lazily like it’s the last set on “Blue Yesterday.” We want more!!!
Lainie Cooke fronts a band of Tedd Firth/p,Tabari Lake- Luques Curtis/b, Myron Walden/sax, and Ralph Peterson/dr-tp on a collection of standards. She’s got a husky yet sinusy type of voice, and knows how to swing. She’s cozy with Curtis on “Sweet Pumpkin” and displays a nice vibrato on “Fascinating Rhythm.” Walden’s soprano sax shines on the modal “How I Wish” and the ballad “Loving You” which both display Cooke’s flexibility. Her bop chops are on display with Peterson’s drums on the snappy “I Have The Feeling I’ve Been Here Before.” A heartfelt lady.
Then, to confuse matters even more, you get the male voice of Mark Weber delivering poetry along with Carol Sawyer’s avant garde soprano voice in the background on this collection of free form music and words. The instrumentation includes Michael Vlatkovich/tb, Steve Bagnell/ts-bcl, Lisa Miller/p and Clyde Reed/b. All of these artists generally provide free improvisation that sometimes serves as punctuation as on “Poem 8” and other times for obligattos. There is a jam on “Winter Things” which focus’ on the trombone, but for the most part, the mood here is a late 50s parlor for the beat generation. Is this a 60 year reunion?