In lieu of detailed liner notes, the CD insert of Move On!, the fun-spirited yet heavy, funkadelic delight of a debut by the B-3 organ trio of Bernard Purdie, Christian Fabian and Ron Oswanski, features an impactful quote by Emilio Castillo. The famed Tower of Power bandleader wraps his cheerful lines with: “If you wanna see what Purdie’s doing these days, check out this CD!”
Castillo's passion for the project starts with the trio’s sensual, slow simmering take on TOP’s “Can’t You See (You’re Doing Me Wrong),” one of four covers complementing bassist/composer Christian Fabian’s five alternately sensual/subtle, cool and strutting and hard-slamming originals. True, the 81-year-old drum legend, who’s been dropping the groove as a solo artist and behind jazz, pop and soul greats for well over five decades, provides the thrust behind this powerhouse set. That laid back, hipster beat behind “BPP Blues,” his tight intensity driving “84-85,” that speedy skinning on the blistering “Got Groove (Pt. 2) and that hypnotic march beat pushing the limits of patriotic music on a supremely cool re-imagining of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” provide an indispensable anchor. And yes, it’s great to see him still jamming so buoyantly and relevantly.
All apologies to Castillo, but let’s not give short shrift to Purdie's trio mates, who may be lesser known but whose resumes are pretty chock full too. Oswanski’s mastery of melody and harmony are on display throughout, while Fabian’s seamless ability to lock in with Purdie keeps the buoyancy and cool flowing and, as per the title, moving forward into a great new age of organ trio jazz.
Listen to Move On! here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0cPhroVm362fPRtBDWDWDC