Ultimate Jazz Collections (Volume 16)

Fantastic jazz-soul with brilliant lyrics

     

There are very few musical artists out there who can write the highest level of lyrics. There's a lot of dreck, some mediocre stuff, not not a lot of real poetry. Gil Scott-Heron was one of the few who was a master writer as well as a great singer. This is a live album and the patter with the audience is fun to listen to. There is a fair bit of patter though, so if you don't like that sort of thing, you should look for the studio versions of these songs. I like it because it makes me feel like I'm in the room. The band is solid, as are the arrangements.

I've been listening to this album for nearly a month and it's still in regular rotation. Whether you like jazz, soul, or are hungry for some meaningful music, this has got it.