Things the Organik Vibe Trio did the winter before last: Tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, organist Ron Oswanski and drummer Marko Marcinko-all of whom played with the Maynard Ferguson Big Bop Nouveau Band-and guests Vic Juris on guitar and vibraphonist Dave Samuels gathered to record this disc’s title track and other familiarities. The results: an altogether pleasant, reliably grooving set of music harkening back to classic B-3 sessions of yore. The music, not surprisingly, frequently occupies bluesy terrain, with a quick-moving “Take the Coltrane” among the highlights. Frahm’s gritty tenor is effectively pushed by Oswanski’s earthy organ, and the latter moves out front before the two take turns trading 12’s with Marcinko. In a similar vein are Marcinko’s “What Now,” with a juicy Juris guitar solo and more open space for the drummer, and Kurt Rosenwinkel’s “Minor Blues,” its palette expanded with guitar and vibes.
Blues is hardly the only color, as the program opens with the bossa-to-swing rhythms of Horace Silver’s “Ecaroh,” turns to balladry for Tadd Dameron’s “On a Misty Night” and Charlie Haden’s gorgeous, laidback “First Song,” and spins mellow swing with “Things We Did Last Summer.” There are other treats here, too, including Frahm’s pensive “De Molen” and Samuels’ Latin-tinged “Picture Frame,” with tenor, guitar and vibes moving between unison and harmony on the silky head.
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Organik Vibe Trio: Things We Did Last Summer
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