Reuben Wilson - Blue Mode

From the Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series

Curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman

Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes

180-gram LP pressed at Optimal in Germany

Part of the Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue series celebrating the jazz label's 80th anniversary. Mastered by Kevin Gray directly from the original master tapes. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal in Germany.

Blue Mode was the third album by American organist Reuben Wilson, recorded in 1969. Blue Mode embraces soul-jazz and Memphis funk in no uncertain terms, writes AllMusic. Opening with the cinematic, stuttering "Bambu" and running through a set of relaxed, funky grooves — including covers of Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood" and Edwin Starr's "Twenty-Five Miles" — Blue Mode isn't strictly a jazz album, but its gritty, jazzy vamps and urban soul-blues make it highly enjoyable. Reuben Wilson has a laid-back, friendly style and his supporting band — tenor saxophonist John Manning, guitarist Melvin Sparks, and drummer Tommy Derrick — demonstrate a similarly warm sense of tone.