Dr. B!
Mbp / Groove!
The Dr. B in this CD's title refers to Mike Bogle having a Doctorate in Musical Arts. A music educator as well as a marvelous keyboard player (here on the organ) composer and arranger, he is joined by guitarist Richard McLure and drummer Ivan Torres for a straight-ahead organ trio recording of mostly standards.
From the sprinter's tempo of the first interpretation of "Cherokee," to the closing storytelling on "Walkin'," the Bogle Trio impresses with the crisp ensemble sound and their interplay. On the opening track all three solo and display their technical and musical command, with guitarist McClure's bright, single-note solos very appealing. McClure takes the lead on John Abercrombie's "Ralph's Piano Waltz," while Bogle provides a harmonic base before his pipe organ emulating solo while Torres puts down a crisp groove. There is a nice bluesy mashup of Neil Hefti's "Splanky" with Bobby Troup's "Route 66," that also includes some personable scatting and passable singing to go with the greasy organ-guitar here.
A relaxed, swinging take on "On The Street Where You Live" is followed by the closing talking blues, "Walkin'," with his engaging story-telling. McClure's chicken-picking guitar provides color to the vocal along with Bogle's repeated stepping riff pattern. If this is a somewhat brief CD (34 minutes or so), it is a wonderfully played organ jazz trio.
I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the January-February 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 382). Here is a video of Mike Bogle although on piano.
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