Grit-Gittin' Feelin'

Grit-Gittin' Feelin'

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Harold Ousley is a jazz journeyman, a tenor saxophonist who can look back on a half-century career that's included stints with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Jack McDuff. Somehow, though, he's made very few recordings as a leader in that career. This CD catches him on a recent visit to his native Chicago, breezing through bop-blues originals and ruminating on several standards with a local rhythm section. Ousley has an approach of his own, compounded from such soulful blues specialists as Gene Ammons and the fleeter inventions of Dexter Gordon and Hank Mobley, and he also has something of his own to add to songs such as "Canadian Sunset" and "Lush Life." His sound is a muscular but flexible mix of gentle breathiness and metallic bite that can take on the lightly Latin-driven "Night Song" or wail with grace on the funky title tune. Ousley's combination of toughness and sensitivity marks this as personal and authentic, an emotionally direct music that's still capable of nuance. Pianist Jodie Christian, an underappreciated Chicago institution, adds his own depths, while bassist John Whitfield and drummer Robert Shy provide substantial support. --Stuart Broomer

From Jazziz
For veteran saxophonist Harold Ousley any questions about his inspiration vanish like smoke by the time you reach the second tune of Grit-Gittin' Feelin' (Delmark). The song, "Canadian Sunset," provided the hit of a lifetime for Gene Ammons, who more than anyone else symbolized post-war Chicago jazz (with its prominent strains of blues and jump). Ammons and Ousley played side-by-side through much of the '50s in the dance band run by King Kolax, and the osmotic lessons flowing from Ammons' horn were not lost on his section-mate.

On his first album as a leader in nearly 30 years (recorded on a rare visit to his hometown, Chicago), Ousley carries Ammons' torch but avoids getting singed. He plays with the same breathy attack and a shared penchant for longer tones and clear melody. His fat tone has the sweet-and-sour tinge that's been de rigueur for Chicago tenor players since Ammons. But Ousley has a gentler, more rounded approach to his sound and to his soloing: He's Paul Quinichette to Ammons' Lester Young. And, at least on this album, he still has plenty of swing.

Grit-Gittin' Feelin' tops out at nearly 75 minutes. Ousley makes every one count, thanks in no small part to a simpatico rhythm section led by the incandescent pianist Jodie Christian. They help Ousley make a big mid-album leap - from the burnished embers of "Lush Life" to the wind-whipped streets of the title blues on the very next track - sound like a stroll in the park.

Grit-Gittin' Feelin',Harold Ousley,Delmark,Jazz,Jazz Music,Neo-Bop,Pop

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