Ujam Records

Fred Woodard: Reviews

Notes, not News! the Fred Woodard Trio

by Cheryl Hamilton-Smythe, The Mission Hill News

The Mission Hill News is pleased to bring to your attention a new jazz CD release from the local Roxbury label: Ujam Records. 1715 is the latest work of guitarist Fred Woodard and the hints of blues and bop he introduces to the seven tracks make this collection accessible to the non-jazz aficionados among us. Three of the tracks are Woodard's own compositions while the remaining four bring in the works of some of the trio's favorite composers, including Grant Green. Woodard's music is best described as "straight ahead jazz spiced with R&B" and it has received solid airplay on many radio stations in Boston and around the Northeast. Among our favorites are "Besame Mucho" on track 3 and the title track "1715," which was described by Eric Jackson of WGBH as "a tune with a light funk almost reggae-like groove." It is always great to have local artists making a name for themselves and if you're looking to jazz up your CD collection, there is no need to go too far afield.