news: Geoff Totton's Review of Bradley Leighton - Soul Collective. March 21, 2008
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FORUMBRADLEY LEIGHTON-SOUL COLLECTIVE
As soon as I saw the cover of the CD it reminded me of a cover design for a Herbie Mann album...but flutist Bradley Leighton has more of a Bobbi Humphrey influence.
This CD is like a musical tour with different guest artists getting on board. The tour starts with Tom Braxton on alto sax in a Jazz Crusader mood...riding through LAs mean streets in the same 1966 caddy convertible used in the Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith review.
Tom tells us on his sax how the souls of the street girls are too dead for dreaming....but Bradley replies on his flute that there is magic in the night...and there is sweet salvation under the caddys hood if they want to come riding with him to a place of real freedom. Then the great Tom Scott takes over the driving seat on his alto and tenor saxes cruising the beaches to check out the beautiful Californian girls...strutting the sand...while Bradley paints in the deep blue sea and sky and dream that goes on forever.
Leighton then backs Paula Prophet on her own song (That Man)...she is a professional and polished vocalist...as well as a good songwriter. Leighton and keyboardist Jason Miles bring a beautiful Quincy Jones "Heat of the Night" feel to "Ode to Billy Joe."
Greg Adams comes in on trumpet and flugelhorn-a sort of Miles Davis Randy Brecker influence...very hardedged like the City of Angels. Katreese Barnes singing on "Keep that same old feeling" is very nice. Allan Phillips not only wrote many of the tunes on this CD but provided very funky keyboard playing...just right for Tom Scott to take off and drag off some young boys in a Honda CRX. I enjoy Evan Marks guitar playing ...very Bensonish but he has something of his own which facinates me. Tom Scott burning rubber in a classic caddy...blowing a CRX away facinates me even more.
Check out www.pacificcoastjazz.com. This music is great for nightcruising too.
Geoffrey Totton