December 19, 1996
Soul-jazz gets no respect. It's too much like straight jazz for rock and roll fans to relate; jazz purists look down their noses at its reliance more on groove than melodic or harmonic complexity. Both are missing out on some amazing music.
Green is a jazz guitarist in the Wes Montgomery style who cut some terrific straight jazz dates for Blue Note in the '60s, but in the '70s he began to explore the funky rhythms James Brown was making popular. This album was recorded live at a club in New Jersey in August of 1970, and it is a triumph of irresistible beats and pure improvisational joy.
Alive! opens with Green's take on Kool and the Gang's "Let the Music Take Your Mind". Drummer Idris Muhammad's astounding polyrhythmic technique sets the tone with Claude Bartee calling the riff on tenor sax, but when Green breaks in with his clean, lightning fast soloing, it's enough to make you yell out loud. This is music of almost palpable joy, and it is impossible not to get caught up in the current of spontaneous audible grins these men create.
William Bivens and Ronnie Foster flesh out the emotional and musical agility on organ and vibes, particularly on "Down Here On The Ground", a subtle and moving track that demonstrates the group's ability to handle ballads with grace. But it is in the uptempo club shakers that the band really shines, and Green leads them all with his inspired groove.
Green is a formidable guitarist who approaches his instrument like a horn: playing crisp, precise single-note melodic lines at breathtaking speed. He is a wonder to listen to, particularly on "Sookie, Sookie", a nod to James Brown that has been sampled ad nauseum by hip-hop acts, but whose original power remains undiminished. Like the opening track, the drums and horns lay the foundation, but when Green steps in to bring the noise … if you can stay in your seat and keep from grinning, you're a better man than me.
- Jared O'Connor
Who says a Jazz band
can't play Funk?