Lenny White Releases Live in ’97, Featuring Victor Bailey and Foley
Lenny White dug deep into his archives and found some real gems from a 1997 tour of Japan with his band. This tour offered up a fusion of funk, jazz, rock and soul and had an interesting pairing of bassists – Victor Bailey laying down the low end and groove, with Foley on lead bass. The rest of White’s all-star group on this tour included saxophonist Bennie Maupin, the late trumpeter-vocalist Mark Ledford, pianist Patrice Rushen and keyboardist Donald Blackman.
The result is the 70 minute, 6-track album, Lenny White Live, released last week.
The album opens up with the soulful “Whew! What a Dream,” which features a slap-bass groove held down by Bailey in a perfect matchup with White’s drumming. That’s followed up by the almost 21-minute long “East St. Louis”, which features Foley’s trademark lead bass during a solo by the bassist.
One of Bailey’s own tunes, “Pickpocket” makes the album, showcasing the trumpet and vocal work of Ledford.
The album closes with an alternate take of the opening track.
The 1997 tour followed two of White’s studio albums, Present Tense (1995) and Renderers of Spirit (1996).
Lenny White Live is available on CD and in digital formats (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
