Reuben Wilson ”On Broadway”

Reuben Wilson

”On Broadway”
( LP Blue Note Records, 1968 )
Catalog # BST 84295

Tracklisting:
Baby I Love You
Poinciana
On Broadway
Ain’t That Peculiar
Ronnie’s Bonnie

Personnel & Notes:
Trevor Lawrence (ts)
Reuben Wilson (org)
Malcolm Riddick (g)
Tommy Derrick (d)
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, October 4, 1968

Review (1):
”On Broadway”, Wilson’s first album for Blue Note, was a quartet session featuring his old bandmate Derrick and was recorded in October of 1968.

Review (2):
On Broadway, Reuben Wilson’s debut for Blue Note, is a little undistinguished, but it remains an enjoyable exercise in late-’60s soul-jazz. Like many of his peers on Blue Note, Wilson’s soul-jazz displayed a familiarity with contemporary soul and R&B styles. Not only does he cover R&B hits like “On Broadway,” “Baby I Love You” and “Ain’t That Peculiar,” but the interplay between Wilson, guitarist Malcolm Riddick and Tommy Derrick occasionally recalls Stax, Motown and uptown soul. The combo, which also features tenor saxophonist Trevor Lawrence, remains rooted in jazz, with the organist demonstrating a Jimmy Smith influence, but the jazz feeling is tempered by a desire to work a groove instead of improvising or attempting to reach new sonic territory. And On Broadway is a successful groove record, but in comparison to the two albums that followed, it’s a little uneven.
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AMG)

Also on Smooth’s My Jazz World blog.

By Pier