CD HOTLIST

BK Trio
Hit It
Self-released
No cat. no.

When the lineup is guitar, organ, and drums, you know what to expect: funk and soul. And guitarist/composer Brian Kooken and his trio don’t let you down. They come right out of the gate with the title track, a burning, swinging blues, and then proceed to lay down an entire album’s worth of original compositions that could have been written and recorded in this genre’s 1960s heyday: the busily bustling “Always Looking Up,” the finger-snapping “Hatzas Groove,” the slow and funky “In That Funk Again.” And there’s even some gentle bossa (“Brazilian Blues”) to break things up. Kooken’s tone is warm and soulful, and organist Greg Hatza and drummer Robert Shahid provide brilliant accompaniment. Highly recommended to all jazz collections.