San Diego-based guitarist Dan Papaila rejoins with mid-1970s working buddy, drummer Larance Marable, for this straightahead outing of nine tunes with pianist Mike Wofford and bassist Andy Simpkins. Having worked with jazz organ combos in the L.A. area through 1980, Papaila contributes the plucky, blues-tinged title tune (you’ll have to imagine the chugging B-3) and classics from Broadway and bandstand. Papaila’s mostly single-line, melodic style keeps the session in a relaxed mode, whether covering Percy Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone to Love” with switching time signatures, or cranking up and kickin’ the blues on Bob Dylan’s “Watchin’ the River Flow,” or navigating the racing reinvention of the Weill classic, “Speak Low.” The focus of this October 1996 studio date is on easygoing rhythms and accessible (often bluesy) melodies. With Marable (past collaborator of Wes Montgomery) adding plenty of verve, Papaila thrives in such surroundings, making this one of the best recent guitar-led sessions.
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