AMG Review of Live

Rick Anderson
All Music Guide

It's hard to know how to categorize the San Diego-based Greyboy Allstars. They tend to get thrown in with the acid jazz crowd, but while they do play jazz, their music is influenced at least as heavily by James Brown and Curtis Mayfield; the herky-jerky drums and funky, melodic basslines all come straight out of 1960s and '70s soul. This live album documents their 1998 tour and prominently features sax player Karl Denson, particularly on the Lou Donaldson number "Hot Dog" and on Denson's own "Tenor Man." Keyboardist Robert Walter contributes the very soulful "Freshman 10," which sounds for all the world like something the J.B.'smight play while waiting for James Brown to hit the stage -- guitarist Elgin Park is in particularly fine form, throwing out vintage rhythm riffs with funky precision. Everything on this disc is up to that standard -- it's over an hour of good, sweaty, old-school fun.