Brother Red

by Scott YanowThe 11 selections included on this CD reissue include seven songs from a session headed by tenor-saxophonist Red Holloway that used the members of the Jack McDuff Quintet (with the organist, guitarist George Benson, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks and drummer Joe Dukes), three pieces from a McDuff date in which the lead voices are backed by an orchestra arranged by Benny Golson, and a selection from a sampler. The material varies a bit ("Wives and Lovers" and Holloway's soul ballad "No Tears" are forgettable) but the blues and the uptempo pieces (highlighted by "This Can't Be Love") are quite enjoyable and the underrated saxophonist is in excellent form.