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Title: Groovalicious
Review: This is my fave Lou Donaldson disc, but not because of Lou (who's playing is so ultimately relaxed here that it almost falls off of Rudy Van Gelder's tape). For me, the album is really all about Lonnie Smith. On this particular session he was at his grooviest, peeling off one tasty riff after another. His cool yet smokin' touch on the B3 keeps everyone on track and in like-minded fashion. The underrated Blue Mitchell plays it from the soul this time around, all slippery funk/blues. It's also nice to have George Benson on board whipping up some classy licks of his own. Along with Idris Muhammad's understated beat, the entire crew is just so very locked into the mode that this short(36:10) but killer album is the very definition of "Blue Note Rare Groove". The tune "Bag of Jewels" really lives up to it's name, a groovy little track that is straight outa '68. Dig it!
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