Reggie Thomas/Clay Jenkins/Rick Haydon/Gary Hobbs
4
Jazz Compass Records
www.jazzcompass.com
By George W. Harris

Organist Reggie Thomas leads a band with trumpeter Jenkins, guitarist Haydon and drummer Hobbs through a quizzical collection of originals. Quizzical, in that the music at times seems to hearken to moody musings similar to Miles Davis’ In A Silent Way period, with Thomas brooding underneath Jenkins’ muted horn and Haydon’s bending strings, yet at other times there’s a delta blues feel as if you’re in some late night juke joint. There’s an earthiness to songs like “Hootie McBooglie” that gives a down home feel, while more assertive material like “A Stern Scolding” has a rockish edge to it. More environmental than anything else, sort of like a series of tunes waiting for someone else to show up and show the direction.