CD Review: Hendrik Meurkens - Cobb's Pocket

Hendrik Meurkens (harmonica); Peter Bernstein (guitar); Mike LeDonne (organ); Jimmy Cobb (drums)

(Review by Lance).

When Harold Mabern, who died on Thursday (Sept.19), had to pull out of a UK visit last August his place was taken by Mike LeDonne. LeDonne, featured in the October issue of DownBeat, turns up in top level company here and makes his presence felt along with guitarist Bernstein, jazz legend Jimmy Cobb and harmonica ace Meurkens.

Described in the blurb as the most important voice on the instrument since Toots Thielemans, Meurkens lives up to the billing. His dexterity on harmonica is equal to just about any sax player and, like Thielemans before him, banishes any misgivings as to the credibility of the instrument.

I first heard of Peter Bernstein at a gig where our man at Birmingham Con. Francis Tulip raved over him. As Francis T is no mean player himself I knew Bernstein had to be checked out. Listening here, Bernstein turns out to be everything I hoped he'd be and more. Whether soloing or laying down big fat chords that don't intrude on LeDonne's own comping this guy is The Man!

LeDonne plays some wild B3 as well as taming the beast on the more sensitive numbers such as Polka Dots and Moonbeams.  

Jimmy Cobb at 90, amazingly, is not the oldest jazz legend dropping bombs - he's got another 4 years to catch up on Roy Haynes. Now that would be something - a drum battle between those two! Cobb's workout on Sam Jones' Unit Seven indicates that the man who drove Kind of Blue along still has his foot on the pedal.

Organ, guitar, harmonica and drums may not be your everyday line-up but, with these four guys it should be!
Lance
Driftin' (H.Hancock); Frame For the Blues (S.Hampton); Slow Hot Wind (H. Mancini); Unit Seven (S. Jones); Polka Dots and Moonbeams (J.Van Heusen/J. Burke); Cobb's Pocket; Slidin'; A Slow One (all Meurkens).