Soul Twist (The Complete Enjoy Sessions)

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R&B tenor sax great King Curtis recorded for a variety of labels during his career, including stints at Capitol and Atlantic, but what is arguably his finest session came for Bobby Robinson's Harlem-based label Enjoy Records in 1962. Curtis apparently regarded this as a trial run, since he left Enjoy without signing a contract that same year, in spite of having "Soul Twist" sitting on top of the R&B charts. Whatever the chemistry was at these sessions (the complete results of which are included here), Robinson managed to convince Curtis not to blow the house down every second of every track, and the ensemble feel that emerged between the saxophonist and organ player Ernie Hayes and guitarists Billy Butler and Joe Richardson is strong, loose, and darn near perfect. Featuring mostly instrumentals, the Enjoy sessions spotlight a studio band (billed as the Noble Knights) that has a little of the same magic that would later make Booker T. & the MG's so special, a certain soulful exactness, and yet still loose enough to swing. "Soul Twist" is a classic (an alternate take is also here), but tracks like "Mr. Crow" and "Piping Hot" aren't far behind. Curtis' strong, stuttering tenor sax is a major part of why things work, but these 15 cuts are solidly a group effort, and King Curtis never really bettered the feel he found with these musicians. Several editions of the Enjoy sessions have been released, all with these same 15 tracks, and it probably doesn't matter which one you pick up, but don't hesitate, because King Curtis never sounded better or more relaxed. ~ Steve Leggett