Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The City Champs: Luna '68
The City Champs: Luna '68
Joe Restivo
guitar, electricAl Gamble
organ, Hammond B3George Sluppick
drumsSt. Paul & The Broken Bones
band / ensemble / orchestra
JJ Grey & Mofro
band / ensemble / orchestra
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood
band / ensemble / orchestraReunited in the studio, to record together for the first time in over a decade, the band enlisted Bruce Watson to produce Luna '68 in his Delta Sonic Sound studio in Memphis. And, while it is most appropriate homage to refer to the City Champs as an organ trio, it is also a disservice of sorts. To be completely fair, via tracks like "A-Meld- A-Marcos," Restivo, Gamble and Sluppick transcend easy labels altogether by invoking the spirit and style of jazz icon
Jimmy Smith
organ, Hammond B31925 - 2005
Booker T & the MG's
band / ensemble / orchestra
Brian Auger
organ, Hammond B3b.1939
Still, the complimentary adjective 'tasty" applies here as fully as it does on Restivo's own Where's Joe? (Blue Barrel, 2019). Yet, on the very first number here, the title tune, the guitarist and his compatriots elevate their performance to a grand, near-majestic plateau. Then, on "Lockdown City," the Champs begin to morph into a pseudo-surf band, except that Gamble's organ lines wash away any kitsch that emanates from the guitar as Restivo twangs away with gleeful relish. Meanwhile, Sluppick is as unobtrusive as he is insistent on the very next cut, the R&B-rooted "Mack Lean."
There, the syncopated rhythm guitar figures Restivo quickly strums are also most effective in setting up the languorous mood he and his bandmates conjure up during "Hanzo." And in yet another delicious contrast, some decidedly heavy organ erupts on "Freddie King For Now," prompting further rumination on the roots of the City Champs; as the mysterious mood of "Voyage to Vega (For Felix)" unfolds, those influences would appear to include, perhaps not surprisingly, those noted British eclectics
Traffic
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1967
Of course, such passages also compel questions about how the band comes up with song titles such as "Skinny Mic." But, the generally lighthearted tone of those designations mirrors the essentially easygoing air of the music throughout Luna '68. Accordingly, quieter moments dovetail quite nicely with those of outright gaiety as they appear on "Thinking of You"; the tenderness of emotion arrives on a leisurely tempo that only makes it more inviting. As accessible as that cut is, its description as 'ingratiating' could be just as readily applied to the other eight selections of what is bound to be a deceptively durable album. ">
Track Listing
Luna '68; Lockdown City; Mack Lean; A-Meld-A-Marcos; Hanzo; Skinny Mic; Freddie King For Now; Thinking of You; Voyage to Vega (For Felix)
Personnel
Additional Instrumentation
Joe Restivo: acoustic guitar; Al Gamble: synthesizer; George Sluppick: percussion.
Album information
Title: Luna '68 | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Big Legal Mess Records
Tags
The City Champs
Album Review
Doug Collette
Luna '68
Big Legal Mess Records
Joe Restivo
Al Gamble
George Sluppick
City Champs
Bo-Keys
Don Bryant
Percy Wiggins
St. Paul & The Broken Bones
JJ Grey & {{Mofro
Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Jimmy Smith
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