Every Greyboy Allstars album release is a time to celebrate and I’m loving listening to all the gifts in Grab Bag: 2007 – 2023. It’s an eclectic mix of songs that the band had played life but never recorded over the last several years. In that sense, and because of the warmth and style of the album, it feels gorgeously familiar. It’s a testament to the collective experience of the group as bandmates and as craftsmen with other artists. The five fit together seamlessly and they weave in and out of the tunes with adroitness. This absolutely hits the sweet spot for me, the band alternates from playing as a tight group to looser, adventurous solos. I’m really hoping they follow up with an East Coast tour swing in 2025. Check out my track by track coverage with the band notes in the colored comments box and buy and stream the album. If you like funk, boogaloo, jazz and/or Latin music, this is for you.
Buy or Stream Grab Bag 2007 – 2023
(click on image)
In December of 2023, when GBA’s recording sessions focused on new material ran out of time as various members were called back to their other “Allstar” jobs, they’d take advantage of the pause to dig into a generous back catalog of songs that hadn’t been previously issued. Many of the tunes were too experimental or didn’t quite fit within the context of the albums for which they were originally recorded, yet had still gone onto become staples of their live shows. The nine tracks sizzle in sequence…
Note: All album notes and comments taken from https://greyboyallstars.com/about/
Track By Track
Slip the Grip comes right out of the gate scorching. Immediately I marvel at the mix in my headphones, the guitar and bass on the left channel, organ on the right, and drums down the middle. Karl “Diesel” Denson comes in on sax and hits me right between the eyes. Elgin Park tears it up with a funky as you need solo and then Robert Walter pops the cork on another delightful keys riff. The deftness and cohesiveness of this band of brothers is incredible. Diesel takes a solo solidifying his stature as the “tenor man.” The end close out has band pulsing the theme with some extra saxy punctuation.
…a classic GBA party starter that used to ignite their live sets.
Watch Out Gail has my head boppin’ on every axis. Stillwell and and Park sound like a pinball machine bouncing around. Robert Walter leads the main theme as a counter to Stillwell-Park combo. This time, Karl adds some squeaks and squawks to his blistering ascending solo. Walter lays down some high viscosity organ while Aaron Redfield and Stillwell carry on to the funky ending.
…another cast-iron cooker
Speed Freak kicks off Walter three-chord entry line and a Redfield drumroll. Denson carries the main melody leading up to another rollicking organ section from Walter and then the full band pumps the main theme. Karl takes a longer solo with slow organ dripped on top of the rapid rhythm section. Park, Stillwell, and Redfield then rev the engines a bit more to full throttle up to the finish.
…dazzles, as its title suggests, with pinpoint frenzy awash in the ensemble’s telepathic sense of the group mind.
Boxes is one of the outliers here, but in the best way. It’s more of a traditional jazz piece, nicely done. Walter’s on the piano and plays off the rest of the group and then he and Denson align nicely. Denson takes a round with a sax solo and then some blistering licks. The band is injecting some neat effects, especially Park. Walter takes a sparkling piano solo midway. Karl does some terrific sax work after the solo with squeaks and squawks and the band creates an ethereal ambient potion up to the end.
…sliding into Walter’s compositional jazz, and again pushing the five to outer territory.
San Diegogo has Diesel on flute which is always a treat. The soft chanted vocals conjure up visions of smooth sailing along the coast in a boat, on a bike or whatever mode of transport you love. Walter is on piano again for this one and it fits perfectly. These guys are absolute masters of the mood and this one puts you in a good one every time. When Denson plays the second solo and during the vocals you can hear birds chirping in the background, it’s a sweet trip.
The quintet saunters into the smooth for a middle three on the sunny daze of “San Diegogo…
LLL is actually a ‘vocal’ tune written by Robert Walter and Michael Andrews. It’s another flutie from Diesel. I haven’t found the full lyrics yet but it sounds like it’s a story of a great relationship gone awry. Walter sets the tone with a piano solo followed by Karl on flute. It feels a bit like a Crosby, Stills, Nash kinda vibe.
… the AOR leanings of “LLL,”
Suadela feels like some early ’80s Ronnie Laws early on with Denson’s sax. It shifts a bit to a more bent-affected dreamlike seqeuence. It’s probably the most mellow tune on the album. Walter is on synth this go around and Diesel has a feathery touch on the sax parts. Stillwell picks up on the fuzzy feels and the tune really floats along like the clounds.
…and the vamping wanderlust of “Suadela,” an early standout from their most recent sessions in 2023, that downshifts into unexplored spaces new and provocative.
The Way You Make Me Feel is instantly recognizable as a cover of the Michael Jackson classic, and this version is so good. Walter and Diesel trade the lead line throughout and it’s a perfect match. Stillwell lays down some funky bottom with Walter gliding back on the B3. I love the solos from Karl and Park.
More still, there is a Michael Jackson cover, an instrumental take on “The Way You Make Me Feel,” that’s yet another live favorite.
Pixie Stick is sweet as can be, kinda like a cha cha from the early 60s with Denson and Park going note for note in the A section. Diesel comes in with a flute flourish and Park responds. Park twangs a little ditty and Walter follows in suit. The dance comes to an end and I know I’ll be putting this one on repeat very soon.
And the closing “Pixie Stick,” the second of the two gems pulled from their most recent recording endeavors, that with a Cheshire grin, slinks and bops its way to the finish line.
Greyboy Allstars Are
Karl Denson: Saxophone, Flute
Elgin Park: Guitar
Aaron Redfield: Drums
Chris Stillwell: Bass
Robert Walter: Keyboards
