ProJazz.net

If someone played you saxophonist Muriel Grossmann‘s 2023 album Devotion and said it was a lesser-known organ and psych-soul-jazz album from the late ’60s, you might just believe them. It’s an evocative vibe the European instrumentalist has been perfecting for over a decade and which she brings to new levels here. The album, which marks her debut for Jack White’s Third Man Records, essentially finds her splitting the difference between 2018’s Coltrane-inspired Golden Rule and the organ-soaked approach of 2019’s Reverence. Helping her achieve this spiritual combination is her longtime quartet with guitarist Radomir Milojkovic, Hammond B-3 organist Abel Boquera, and drummer Uros Stamenkovic. Grossmann also displays her versatility, playing, at various times, flute, the stringed kalimba, harmonium, and sundry percussion instruments throughout the album. Together, she and her band conjure an earthy, spice-filled atmosphere that brings to mind the classic sound of albums by Grant Green, Charles Earland, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. With her big, full-throated tone and spiraling riffs, Grossmann also often recalls the style of Argentine saxophonist Gato Barbieri. Songs like the opening “Absolute Truth” and the title track have a funky, globally inspired sound that mixes swinging modal jazz with Latin- and Afro-Cuban-sounding rhythms. Equally engaging are cuts like “Calm,” with its slow groove and twangy guitar, and the hard-driving “All Heart,” both of which sound impossibly like John Coltrane playing with Malian desert blues outfit Tinariwen. – Matt Collar/AllMusic.

Track listing:

A1 Absolute Truth 21:50
B1 Calm 10:22
B2 Care 12:34
C1 Knowledge and Wisdom 10:22
C2 All Heart 12:34
D1 Devotion 11:54
D2 Mother Of All 10:34

Personnel:

Composed By – Muriel Grossmann
Drums – Uros Stamenkovic
Guitar – Radomir Milojkovic
Organ [Hammond B3 Organ] – Abel Boquera
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Flute, Percussion, Tambura, Bass [Upright Bass], Kalimba, Harmonica – Muriel Grossmann

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Label: Third Man Records – TMR-960
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Sun & Moon Vinyl
Released: Dec 1, 2023
Duration: 01:30:10