Like a flash of something orange on a gray, dreary day, Bradley Leighton's newest release, Just Doin' Our Thang evokes warm and pleasurable thoughts of summer evenings relaxing on the deck with friends, tall, cool drinks, and mellow music.
Doin' their thing here is Leighton on alto flute, Rob Whitlock on the Hammond B-3 organ, Duncan Moore on drums, Bob Boss on guitar, and arranger Allan Phillips on percussion and keyboard. Leighton's alto flute adds a cool, crisp feel to the organ-guitar-drum combo. Standards like Summertime and Sunny sound zesty and fresh, while "Europa" and "Easy Morning" highlight Leighton's skillful playing. Three of the compositions on the CD are Leighton's own, including the mellow "Lazy Summer Days," the gorgeous "Carefree," and the aforementioned "Easy Morning."
Leighton especially enjoys the Hammond organ sound and as a teen in the 1970's and 1980's, he often played with local Seattle/Tacoma organ players. In his liner notes, he tells us that the music on this CD is what we might hear if we showed up at the club at the last set, catching the band, "...takin' it just a little easy, we got a little groove on, and we're just doin' our thang." A thoroughly enjoyable CD, Just Doin' Our Thang is the perfect thing for relaxing or for setting the mood at your next get-together.
by Linda Goshay