CHRIS FOREMAN

Now Is The Time

The Sirens Records

8 tracks/53:44

By Mark Thompson

Anyone with some basic interest in Chicago jazz has undoubtedly heard of Chris Foreman. Along with guitarist Bobby Broom and drummer Greg Rockingham, Foreman was a member of the Deep Blue Organ Trio, a group that played a big role in revitalizing the organ tradition in Chicago. He has also recorded two projects on the Sirens label backing singer Kimberly Gordon. And most Sunday evenings you can hear the organist along with the guitar wizard Joel Paterson at the Green Mill until the wee hours of the morning.

There are organists like Joey DeFrancesco and Tony Monaco, players with prodigious technical skill and the ability to improvise at all tempos, especially at a lightning-quick pace. Jimmy Smith is a legendary figure who had the technique but was also a master at creating a groove. Then there are organists who are all about the groove – Jimmy McGriff, Charles Earland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Richard “Groove” Holmes and Brother Jack McDuff. You can add Chris Foreman to that storied roster.

In Foreman’s world, it is all about the feeling, the mood that he so successfully creates on each of the eight standards (all instrumentals) he selected for this project. You get that right from the start with a joyful rendition of the title track, written by Charlie Parker. It is just Foreman at the helm of the organ, his left hand walking the bass line while his right hand spins out an engrossing mixture of chords and single note runs. The combined effect will quickly have your body moving to the irresistible pull of the music he creates.

Four other tracks feature guitarist Andy Brown, a combination that allows both musicians to alternate between solos and maintaining the rhythm.  Brown’s fluid, blues-based lead on “Lonely Avenue” sparks a mesmerizing solo excursion from Foreman. “I Cover The Waterfront” gets a playful treatment with Brown comping chords while the organist creates a series of witty twists on the melody. McGriff’s tune, “Doggone,” provides the framework for a tantalizingly swinging rhythm with Brown impressing over two segments of beautifully crafted single note picking.

The guitarist takes a sublime turn on the Neal Hefti classic, ”Lil’ Darlin’,” while Foreman impresses as he switches between organ and piano without missing a step. “The Peeper” pairs the organist with a long-time friend, Diane “Lil’ Sax” Ellis on alto sax, for a hearty romp that celebrates the beloved organ combo groove.

Through the use of overdubs, Foreman plays piano and organ on two tracks. He uses the organ to lay down a stately treatment of the melody to “Shake A Hand” while his fingers dart across the piano keyboard, generating soulful fills over the lush organ chords straight out of the church. Even better is the call-and-response between the instruments on “Cotton Boy Blues”. The full-bodied, rich organ tones set up the seductive slow blues. Foreman plays introspective interludes on the piano that create enthralling tonalities in conjunction with the organ. Towards the end of the disc’s longest track, Foreman takes a brief, killer break on the organ that adds a sense of drama to the finish.

Not much more needs to be said about this one. The “less is more” approach certainly for works Mr. Foreman, who delivers a command performance full of subtle musicality and inventive playing. This one will unquestionably be on my “Best of the Year” list.  Highly recommended!

For info or to buy the CD, visit:

www.thesirensrecords.com

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