Leon, one of the warmest baritones in jazz, sang with everyone from Pharoah Sanders to Santana, replacing Joe Williams in the Count Basie Orchestra. My mikes caught him on a great night at Ethell’s in Baltimore with Gary Bartz. Leon jumped in with exciting versions of his hits “The Sun Song” and “Little Sunflowers.” Then he launched headfirst into his blues roots. And Gary’s quintet dove in with the enthusiasm of freshmen at a bordello. After the first 12 bars of “Woman,” the posh Ethell’s was transformed into a gin joint on Chicago’s South Side. Leon had us eating out of his hand. You can hear every detail of Leon’s deep chest rumble and his charismatic bluesy baritone. Ditto for Gary’s Coltranishly powerful alto sax. You’ll even pinpoint Leon pacing around the stage whipping up the audience.
Track Listing
1. Precious Energy
2. You Treat Me Like A Yo-Yo
3. Sunflowers
4. Cousin Mary
5. Woman
6. Close Your Eyes
7. Boom, Boom, Boom
