Growl has a nice easy swing about it with nobody doing any growling at all. Apart from Interre Jr., whose day was soon to come, everyone soloed - a pattern that prevailed throughout the album.
The Worm Burner is the type of number that first time visitors to BSH, drawn by the blog's title, might expect to find. That's right - bebop in it's various incarnations - if only! Worm Burner leans towards hard bop á la Blue Note although both tenor and trumpet quote Ornithology in their solos letting us know that they've done their research and been listening to the right people. The track ends with fours between drums and ensemble before Junior takes off on his own.
The title track, Sweet William, is a slow melancholic number with solos by trumpet, guitar, B3 and some contrasting flute lines from Bill Todd.
Do the Right Thing is done correctly by trombone and guitar. The Git Down gits down into a comfortable groove with Snyder hitting the Hammond like a harmonious blacksmith setting up trumpet, trombone and tenor to let it all hang out.
Before They Hear You has Jazz Messengers written all over it albeit marginally more restrained than Blakey's crew - but only marginally with the three horns and the guitar having plenty to say over Snyder's B3 and Junior's driving, not quite Blakey (but only marginally), drums.
Something Borrowed, Something Blue: A melodic track with trumpet, tenor, trombone and B3 waxing eloquently. It's the kind of number crying out for some words. I know there was a song of a similar name recorded by the Fantastics whom I recall singing it in a support slot to Junior Walker at Eldon Square Leisure Centre in 1981 but this is a different song.
The Merlion: A swinger of a soul-based number that allows the album to go out on a high and I don't mean second story high more like a couple of stories short of the Empire State high.
It doesn't break until July 25 but worth looking out for when it does. Lance
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