JAZZ CORNER Presents: Pete La Roca - Basra (1965)

What a sincerely fun piece of work this is ... from the onset, there is a nice heavy bottom created by the piano and bass, evoking an intensely warm feeling ... like winds blowing music across the desert floor.  That south of the boarder feel, is no doubt a response to Pete La Roca’s life time love of Latin Music ... hence the name La Roca.

Of course, when he’s laying down the licks with the like of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins or Jackie Mc Lean, he goes by his given name of Pete Sims ... and interesting consideration being how to file him in your music collection ... less of course you divide your collection into Bad, Fair, Good, and Excellent ... then it’s a no brainer, just use the “Excellent” section. 

I find his use of a sure bottom one of the most interesting aspects on this release ... giving the listener someplace comfortable to return, and as consistently recognizable as a road sign ... you will not loose your sense of direction here.  This is nice playful music that does not demand your attention, so much as it exists all around you, making it as impossible to avoid as the air you breathe ... and just as refreshing.

Review made by Jenell Kesler/2015

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