Afro-Disiac

On this 1970 session, Kynard was backed by a first-rate quartet of musicians that often appeared on Prestige soul-jazz dates of the early 1970s: Houston Person on tenor sax, Grant Green on guitar, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums. Most of the original material was supplied not by Kynard or the band, but by Kynard's friend Richard Fritz, who penned four of the six tunes. Kynard's one of the more understated soul-jazz organists of the era, and shares space pretty generously with the other musicians on these basic, funky vamps. The title track has an edginess in the riff that makes it stand out a bit; "Bella Donna" has a melody not far from "Wade on the Water" in places; Jimmy Lewis gets a real fat walking Fender bass tone on "Trippin'" (which he co-wrote with Kynard); and "Chanson du Nuit" has a light bossa nova feel which contrasts pleasingly with the rest of the set. It's been paired with a later 1970 Kynard album, Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui, on the single-disc Legends of Acid Jazz.