Four Voices Finding Their Groove Together
Rowles and his trio lock into a swinging, intimate sound that feels like eavesdropping on friends playing for themselves.
Kinda Groovy! puts you in a small room with four musicians who sound genuinely pleased to be playing together. Jimmy Rowles on piano leads a quartet through standards and originals with a relaxed swing that never pushes too hard. Howard Roberts on guitar and Max Bennett on bass work in close quarters with Rowles, trading space and listening intently. Nick Martinis on drums keeps everything loose and conversational rather than driving. The whole session has a late-night quality—not sleepy, but unhurried, the way musicians sound when the gig is just beginning and nobody's worried about the clock.
By this point in his career, Rowles had spent years as an accompanist and knew how to build a sound around the strengths of whoever he was playing with. Here he steps forward as a bandleader without dominating. His piano playing is fluid and direct, full of swing without flash. Roberts plays with a warmth that complements rather than competes, and Bennett's bass lines anchor everything with solid musicality. This is the kind of record that doesn't announce itself loudly but rewards close listening—the conversations between instruments are clear, and Rowles never oversells a moment.
Kinda Groovy! exists in the space between cool jazz and hard swing, belonging fully to neither camp. It's solid work from musicians who understood their parts in an ensemble. If you want Rowles as a leader in his element, making music that swings without strain, this is worth seeking out.
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