Blue Mitchell - Soul Village

Over the past couple of weeks I've found myself exploring the music of Blue Mitchell. The releases that have really caught my interest from the late trumpeter mostly consist of his many recordings that he put out with Mainstream Records. These records, which were all released during the early to mid seventies, tend to sound like a nice blend of both soulful jazz-funk and hard bop grooves. One of my favorite records during this period from the trumpeter was his 1971 self-titled release, which happened to be Mitchell's debut with Mainstream. On this date, the Florida-born native is joined by a solid cast of musicians that include Jimmy Forrest (tenor saxophone), Walter Bishop, Jr. (piano), Larry Gales (bass), and Doug Sides (drums). Some of my favorite cuts include "Soul Village", "Queen Bey", and "Hi Hermano". Even though this record isn't as funky as some of his other offerings, this self-titled recording helps capture Mitchell's impressive ability to straddle the line between hard bop, funk and the blues.

Blue Mitchell - Soul Village