Ron Levy's past work ranged from tight trad organ trio to blast-the-rafters big band funk. Lately, he's added jam-band grooves to his repertoire. From the first beat of his latest release, "Voodoo Boogaloo," he gets right into a good-time vibe and never lets up.
Levy started out backing B.B. King, and in the 1980s, his keyboards helped power Roomful of Blues. He fleshed out his resume on hardcore blues, jazz and New Orleans second line, but by the '90s, he was fully funkified. Here, with sax player Karl Denson and guitarist Melvin Sparks along for the ride, Levy brings all that together for a rollicking gumbo of superb jazz funk.
The first track "Organ Colossus" lays down a bouncing bass over which Levy whirls through one greasy keyboard lick after the next. On "Better Save Yo'seff," the three-person percussion section opens up full throttle, while Levy, Denson and Sparks jam all over the top. The neo-'60s soulfunk of "Spank!" and the mid-tempo title track also layer on lean, taut solos, with Levy's tasty Hammond B3 licks wrapping it all up in funk. "Voodoo Boogaloo" is high-energy, groove-grabbing fun.