O’Donel Levy – Simba

Description

23/02/2024

First up, the spellbinding funk-fuelled, soul jazz album ‘Simba’, by guitar maestro
O’Donel Levy.
 
Baltimore-born, Levy was already well regarded as one of the best up-and-coming
jazz guitarists at the time of Simba’s release. Having toured with George Benson
and Jimmy McGriff, as well as featuring on McGriff’s Black Pearl album on Blue
Note, he went on to sign with Sonny Lester’s Groove Merchant. Produced by
Lester himself and recorded over two back- to- back days of sessions in 1973,
Simba features a who’s who of ’70s session players. The album features the
legendary studio drummer Steve Gadd, Cecil Bridgewater on Flugelhorn, bass by
Tony Levin and arrangements by Manny Albam.
 
A masterclass in tight yet effortlessly funk-driven rhythms, the tracks showcase
these musicians at their zenith. Album opener ‘Bad, Bad, Simba’ wouldn’t have
been out of place on a Lalo Schifrin ’70s car chase soundtrack. Levy’s playing is
brilliant, bright and slick, with an infectiously exuberant energy that is
complimented perfectly by Gadd’s supreme drumming. ‘Playhouse’ serves up
another vibrant offering, Wah Wah guitars, horns and flutes duelling it out in a
fast-paced fashion.
 
The cinematic thread continues throughout, yet with the tempo taken down a
notch. ‘Sierra Lonely’ and ‘Sad, Sad, Simba’ head into lush ballad territory, with
superb arrangements by Albam and beautiful playing by Collins and Bridgewater
on Flugelhorn. Here Levy shines without taking any limelight, as the players
synergize to a relaxed perfection. ‘Nigerian Knights’ closes the album flawlessly,
showcasing once more Levy’s understated yet magnetic flow on the guitar.
 
Every track on ‘Simba’ is a winner. As with CTI Recordings of the same era, the
feel and textures of Sonny Lester’s productions have that pre-emptive, hip- hop
aesthetic, which later producers would rework and reimagine. This album is
expertly balanced, deftly arranged and magically executed, ebbing and flowing
with a cool buoyancy that just grooves and grooves.
Tracks:
1. Bad, Bad, Simba
2. Kilimanjaro Cookout
3. Playhouse
4. Sierra Lonely
5. Sad, Sad, Simba
6. Joni
7. Nigerian Knights