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Workshop Jazz 2006 (B), February 1963
B-side of Bobbie
(Written by Kirkland Lightsey)
Oh, brilliant, more instrumental jazz trombone music!
If I’m honest, I was half tempted to skip this one without even listening to it, but then that would rather defeat the object of an exercise like this; I signed on to review each and every Motown single, and I’m going to do it, by jingo. For you, readers, for you.
Actually, this one starts out quite promisingly, with a recurring 2-bar double bass figure, then drums, then a weird guitar riff, all laid on back to back to form a kind of primitive sample loop. I had my hopes up, ever so briefly.
Then, on with the trombone, and I remain of the opinion that it’s an instrument fundamentally unsuited to jazz solos, but while it’s awkward and amateurish-soundig whenever Bohanon climbs the register, it’s briefly not too bad while he’s staying around the low notes; it’s cheesy, but not too cheesy. Alas, it can’t last; he starts parping away with high notes, coming across like something you’d give half-hearted pity applause to at a garden fete if it was being performed by some pensioners. It’s rubbish. Sorry, George.
Once again, as with the A-side, Bohanon finds himself shoved out of the way on his own record to make room for some lengthy, tedious piano tinkling, but unlike the A-side there’s no real respite, as the piano is just as cheesy and boring as the trombone.
Still, this is definitely marginally better than the A-side – there’s a spirited blast of really short notes just towards the end which is momentarily interesting, if poorly judged, and which raises the spirits a bit before some more directionless parping – and I’m getting bored of dishing out ones, so I’m giving this a two even though it’s manifestly awful. Yeah, be excited.
I think there are some proper Motown records coming up quite soon.
MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT
(I’ve had MY say, now it’s your turn. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged!)
You’re reading Motown Junkies, an attempt to review every Motown A- and B-side ever released. Click on the “previous” and “next” buttons below to go back and forth through the catalogue, or visit the Master Index for a full list of reviews so far.
(Or maybe you’re only interested in the George Bohanon Quartet? Click for more.)
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| George Bohanon Quartet “Bobbie” |
Paula Greer “I Did” |
Motown Junkies 
Obscurity fans may be interested to know that as of the time of writing (February 2011), according to the visitor stats, this is now the least popular page on the entire site, narrowly beating out the long-time reigning champ, Popcorn Wylie’s Shimmy Gully. Well done, George!
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Well …………… it’s George Bohanon
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And yet he’s still musically active, and considerably less obscure than some of the acts whose reviews have had many more hits. It’s a shame in many ways, as I’d be very interested to know what George’s fans – or jazz fans in general – thought of these Workshop Jazz sides.
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I’m a Jazz fan. I was excited to see that Motown was starting a Jazz label in 1962. On the whole, I was disappointed. I didn’t like either of George’s 45 cuts. I never bought any of the Workshop Jazz LPs, as I never saw them at bargain prices. After that, I never saw them available for sale again, until the 1990s, long (almost 20 years) after I had stopped buying records, and the price was too high for me, anyway. I DID, however, like several of Dave Hamilton’s cuts, including his 45, “Late Freight”.
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>Oh, brilliant, more instrumental jazz trombone music!
Q: What’s the difference between a dead trombonist and a dead snake lying on the side of the highway?
A: The snake was on his way to a gig.
I actually love trombones, and Kirk Lightsey is a serious and well-respected jazzista but I agree that these tracks are a buzzkill as we chomp at the bit here at the dawning of the Golden Age of Motown.
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Never noticed the Kirk Lightsey credit on this one! Saw him earlier this year in a piano duo with Harold Danko (they recorded a great piano duo album back in the mid-80s but hadn’t really hooked up in the last 30 years since Kirk moved to France). But I got to talk with Kirk for a bit. I would have asked him about this had I realized the connection. But I had to admit I tend to ignore the Workshop releases despite being a jazz listener.
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