Willie Bobo
Talkin' Verve (Verve 537 575)

Willie Bobo is such a genuine pleasure to listen to it is actually frustrating that there are not more CDs available. Everyone should own Uno, Dos, Tres/Spanish Grease, and Talkin' Verve is an excellent complement. My only beef is that they overlapped songs, so if you already own the former, some tracks here seem less fresh than they actually are. If you're new to Willie Bobo, though, Talkin' Verve is a nice introduction.

This compilation is breezier than the two-fer, featuring a number of recognizable pop hits done in Bobo's frantically tuneful way. His sound is really like no one else's; it is a form of latin jazz that is so pop I get the feeling that it's truly subversive.

It's almost as though Willie Bobo, frustrated with tradition but also with the pop scene, was compelled to forge a new style that would send them both up. Or perhaps his deep love for both pop and salsa would allow for nothing less than fusion.

The result, at any rate, is a ferociously comic music that never becomes comedy, continuing to delight long after the CD has stopped playing.

Every cut is a gem: "Grazing in the Grass," "The Look of Love," "Black Coffee," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (might be the best version of that song out there), and the original "Evil Ways," tainted somewhat by its association with Santana but still fresh.

The songs from the other available CD perk up the second half of the disc, particularly the double-time reading of Jr. Walker's "Shot Gun" and the classic "Fried Neckbones and Some Home Fries" (might be the best song title ever). Anything other than a good mood is not possible while listening to Willie Bobo; this comes very highly recommended.

It is a shame that Bobo is no longer around to experience a revival – he is missed even though I never knew who he was while he was alive (didn't listen to much latin jazz in junior high – it was too trendy).

Go and get you some Willie Bobo; he does not disappoint.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Billy Hoho