Shirley Scott Trio - Like Cozy

2001 European CD reissue. 2 LPs on 1 CD.

The groove of the recordings heard on Like Cozy is what we've come to expect from Ms. Scott, late-night smooth groove that was heavy on ballads, medium bounce standards, and melodic interplay between leader and sidemen -- a trademark specialty of the label. Scott's piano playing is elegant and reminiscent of both Errol Garner's and Billy Taylor's. She has Garner's ornate sense of style, and Taylor's medium touch and sparse phrasing. A listen to the ballads and bounces here offers Scott's dimensions and inventions as a pianist.

The rest of the disc, where Scott resumes her organist's duties, is a pretty and restrained affair, with just enough funk to keep the listener in the groove -- and it's all groove: smooth, slow, and slippery. Tracks such as "'Deed I Do" holds the blues firmly in its grasp as Scott extrapolates on the changes with a subtle but defined harmonic invention. There are no stunners here, but there weren't meant to be. These records were designed for the late-night-after-the-club feel, and they work that way. Like Ben Webster's Ballads or With Strings, these recordings are soundtracks for midnight rendezvous or early in the morning trysts with a loved one. [A Fantasy "two-fer" reissue added another LP from 1960, The Shirley Scott Trio, issued as Moodsville 5. It too features the talents of bassist George Duvivier and drummer Arthur Edgehill, plus two cuts with Scott playing piano.]

Thom Jurek ~ AllMusicGuide