80 Years Young: Live At The Blue Note March 26, 2005
Origin, 2025
8/10
Listen to 80 Years Young: Live At The Blue Note March 26, 2005
The inimitable flutist and tenor saxophone legend James Moody celebrated his 80th birthday in 2025 with these 8 lively tracks that welcome an excellent cast.
After a quick introduction by George Wein, “Benny’s From Heaven” starts the listen with Todd Coolman’s frisky bass plucking and Moody’s rich sax complementing Adam Nussbaum’s frisky drums, and “Cherokee” follows with David Hazeltine’s mature keys amid Moody’s dreamy flute for the intimate delivery.
Arriving in the middle, “Moody’s Mood For Love/The Television Rap” benefits from playful scatting and the firm rhythm section, while “Birks’ Works” recruits Jon Faddis’ lively trumpet and Slide Hampton’s well timed trombone via the lush album highlight.
Closer to the end, “Happy Birthday” is a really fun spin on the traditional with warm brass and winds, and “Ow” exits the physical version with Cedar Walton’s meticulous keys and Randy Brecker’s flugelhorn adding much to the powerful and timeless jazz that was always present during Moody’s lengthy career.
The digital version of this album comes with 4 more tracks that welcome other players (Roberta Gamberini and Satoshi Inoue), though the handful on the physical copy sure are great and illustrate Moody’s top notch playing. He would live another 5 years after this recording, but his 60+ year career will be enjoyed for decades to come.
Travels well with: Charlie Ballantine- East By Midwest; Rodney Whitaker- Mosaic