Idris Muhammad, known as the 'Drumming King of Smooth' left his signature on albums by power jazz artists Donald Byrd, The Horace Silver Quintet, Lou Donaldson and Archie Shepp.
"Power Of Soul" may not have the quantity littered with ten meaningless jazz tunes that lack creativity and composition but this album boast plenty of quality as "Loran's Dance" takes center stage on this 10 minute 39 second masterpiece featuring Bob James on keyboards and Muhammad's rhythmic mood-setting presentation that sets the table for Randy Brecker (trumpet) and Grover Washington Jr. (tenor saxophone) to shine.
"Piece Of Mind" has a similar blueprint as Loran's Dance however the script is flipped slightly as the lead role on this cut belongs to James with his aggressive electric piano licks while Brecker & Washington Jr. provides the energy with separate solos to keep us all guessing. Idris Muhammad recorded 12 solo albums during his successful career but "Power Of Soul" is considered one of the best and most memorable jazz albums.
@ Article Copyright 2015 WCSU
