Love Bug cover

Love Bug

Released

Reuben Wilson doesn’t top any lists of jazz organists, but a few of his songs were sampled for hip-hop tracks in the ’90s and early ’00s. His version of “Stormy” from this album was picked up by producer Madlib, for example. But his music stands up on its own merits, for the most part, and Blue Note was behind him for five albums between 1968 and 1971, of which this is the second. It features Lee Morgan on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor sax, Grant Green on guitar, and Leo Morris on drums. (A version of Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” tacked on later as a bonus track, adds Jimmy Lewis on electric bass.) Wilson’s playing puts him in the middle of the pack, though he shows flashes of Larry Young-esque ambition at times. Still, Green and Coleman in particular steal the show on most tracks.

Phil Freeman

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