Vince Ector: Rhythm Master

As a longtime sideman to the late Hammond B3 organ great Charles Earland, Philadelphia native Vince Ector knows a thing or two about shuffles, uptempo swingers and funk grooves. But he reveals far more sides of his musical makeup than that on his debut as a leader, Rhythm Master (Blues Leaf). While the opening shuffle-swing of “South Philly Groove” is to be expected of someone who spent so much time with the Mighty Burner, what surprises and delights here is Ector’s marvelous brushwork-brisk and virtuosic on Dizzy Gillespie’s “Groovin’ High,” relaxed and alluring on “What’s New.” Elsewhere, the drummer-bandleader turns in a fresh 3/4 reading of “I’ve Got the World on a String,” tackles a Puerto Rican bomba groove on pianist John DiMartino’s “Iberian Echoes,” then doubles on drums and djembe to work up a hypnotic 6/8 Congolese groove on the title track. And for sheer uptempo sizzle Ector scores big points with his rendition of Kenny Dorham’s “Short Story,” featuring some magnificent trumpet work by special guest Eddie Henderson.

Originally Published November 1, 2004