Buddy Terry: Lean On Him (1973)

One for the Mainstream collectors...

According to Terry, this album was an attempt to mold jazz with gospel. He starts off with a cover of "Lean On Me" played just a little faster than the original. It doesn’t get interesting until two drum breaks/breakdowns featuring Purdie in the middle. Purdie lets loose with another drum break at the beginning of "Holy, Holy, Holy", a soulful gospel tune with singing by Dee Dee Bridgewater. "Inner Peace" starts off with some spacey sounds. Once the song gets going it fluctuates between a mellow rhythm and a funkier one that features several drum break by Purdie. (Review courtesy of Soul Strut)

Terry did a couple of Avant Garde-ish albums on Mainstream before he released Lean On Him. Which makes this kind of a strange (and not entirely successful) album for him. But the 10 minute "Inner Peace" sure is a killer tune. Pure dancefloor jazz! And the rhythm section is hard to beat: "Bad" Wilbur Bascomb and Bernard Purdie with Lawrence Killian on percussion. Top notch!