Of My Times

Of My Times has intriguing arrangements by drummer Gary Hobbs that keep the music quite unpredictable. Some selections utilize electronics while others are more straight-ahead. Among the highlights are "Fever" which has an effective vocal by Britta Hobbs and uses an atmospheric bass clarinet, "Hades Ladies," which is reminiscent of early fusion and has Marc Seales playing Fender Rhodes electric piano, and a fairly straightforward "Besame Mucho" featuring Greta Matassa on the vocal. Other memorable selections include a hyper version of Joe Henderson's "Caribbean Firedance" that has pianist Tom Grant taking one of his best recorded solos; a unique reworking of "Oh Suzanna," and "Robot Love," which features an electrified trumpet ? la Don Ellis. All in all, the consistently colorful music on Of My Times will keep one guessing.