1988 · Album
Mindgames
Recorded 1988 · JMT · Produced by Not verifiable from provided sources
Osby's Uneven Search for Fusion Balance
Ambitious but scattered, with moments of real fire buried under uneven material.
Mindgames opens with sharp, angular saxophone over electric guitar and keyboards—a fusion setup that feels both modern and unstable. Greg Osby is pushing harder here than on his debut, reaching for something between free improvisation and structured groove, but the album never quite settles. Geri Allen and Edward Simon trade keyboard duties across six tracks, and the rhythm section of Lonnie Plaxico and Kevin McNeal locks in best when the pace slows. What works: some genuinely torrid solos, particularly when Osby leans into his sharpest, most angular lines. What doesn't: a sense of compositional clarity. The tunes feel like platforms for soloing rather than fully formed ideas, and the two keyboards sometimes blur rather than complement. This is Osby early in his career, clearly eager to escape the hard-bop lane and experiment, but not yet sure how much freedom works or how much structure he needs.
As his second album, Mindgames sits between the safer ground of his first release and the more focused work he would do later. It's not a misstep—there are stretches where the band locks into something real. But AllMusic reviewer Ron Wynn heard it plainly: strong individual moments, but the album as a whole lacks cohesion. For Osby fans or fusion listeners curious about his trajectory, it's worth hearing. For newcomers, start elsewhere—try his later Blue Note records where his vision clarified.
Who's playing
Lonnie Plaxicobass
Kevin McNealguitar
Greg Osbysaxophone
Paul Samuelspercussion
Geri Allenkeyboard
Edward Simonkeyboard
