Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Los Jets with Brian 'Licorice' Locking - The Final Concert (Live at El Palacio de Congresos of Madrid)
 | This is a splendid live set from Los Jets. It's in mono, and the sound is not particularly crisp, but the performance transcends that limitation. Excellent play throughout! |
Picks: Los 4 Muleros, Arlequin de Toledo, Ram-Bunk-Shush, Time Is Tight, Honky Tonk, Lovers Guitar, Sombras y Rejas, Zorongo, Apache, Guitar Tango, Luna, Dakota, Amapola, Andalucia, Nut Rocker, The Flight Of The Bumble Bee
Track by Track Review
Rock (Instrumental)
Beginning with some tasteful drum work, and then a splendid bass line, "Los 4 Muleros" presents a very fine rock instro. There's delicate guitar work, cool piano, and a very nice melody. This is a very easy to like track.
Rock (Instrumental)
With a very nice Spanish melody amped with string swipes and excellent chemistry between players, "Arlequin de Toledo" is a flying number with double picked lines and lots of string bending. Drama and flair.
Rock (Instrumental)
Lucky Millinder's often covered R&B instro is silky and smooth live, with suave guitar echo. This is a very fluid version of this song.
Rock (Instrumental)
In a live setting, Booker T. and the MG's' "Time Is Tight" is very cool. The blend of guitar and organ here works really well. It may be a fairly straight cover, but it's also very pleasant, and sports some very nice playing all around.
Rock (Instrumental)
Los Jets slither through Bill Dogget's classic instrumental "Honky Tonk." The guitar playing is downright liquid.
Rock (Instrumental)
This sure is pretty. Extremely smooth and lush, with beautiful tone. The entire band does their part, and the finished product is just lovely.
Rock (Instrumental)
"Sombras y Rejas" is very cool in a cheesy sixties way, and it surely demands attention. Lovely acoustic verses introduce the song, and once on board, the band commands your attention. Slithering silky, precisely played, with spectacular guitar work. Wow!
Rock (Instrumental)
After all these years, "Zorongo" still sounds great. Los Jets originally cut this in 1961. It's a magnificent song, with a spectacular melody and great arrangement. The alternating muted and pen lines, and the piano interact with a really solid rhythm section. Superb!
Rock (Instrumental)
Jerry Lordan's "Apache" is a classic, first successfully covered by The Shadows. This track features The Shadows' Brian Locking. This may not break any new ground, but it's about as liquid smooth a version as there is.
Rock (Instrumental)
Beautiful chords open the song, played ever so gracefully on acoustic. The opener alone is enough to capture you. Simply superb! But then, the rest of the song arrives. "Guitar Tango" is amazing. It's has been done a lot, but this is just wonderful, perhaps rivaling The Challengers.
Rock (Instrumental)
"Stand Up And Say That" is a relatively unmelodic number when compared to the rest of Los Jets' set. The performance is very strong - it's just not a very interesting piece of music.
Rock (Instrumental)
The Shadows' "Blue Shadows" features Brian 'Licorice' Locking in a soft and silky easy listening guitar instro. It's very smooth.
Rock (Instrumental)
This classic Hank Marvin song is done with serious precision and style. Bluesy and harmonica augmented, "Nivram" is perhaps among the more bluesy tracks that Los Jets have done. Very good playing here.
Rock (Instrumental)
"Luna" is a lovely piece partially in the Shadows vein. Its light sound and easy lead roll off the ears leaving behind a gentle breeze. Quite pretty.
Rock (Instrumental)
"Dakota" features Brian 'Licorice' Locking on harmonica. It's partially spaghetti, with its slide guitar and smooth desert sound. Really nice!
Rock (Instrumental)
Joseph LaCalle's classic "Amapola" is not often done to be pretty these days, but that's what happens here. Its rich and fluid delivery are very endearing.
Rock (Instrumental)
Ernesto Lacuona's "Andalucia" is sensual and silky. The smoothness provided by the long echoed guitar notes takes "The Breeze and I" into uncommonly pretty territory. The double picked verse is very surf.
Rock (Instrumental)
Piano rockin' fun ensues as "Nut Rocker" evolves. Really cool, guitar licks, rockin' piano, muted rhythm, great bass and drums. Spirit aplenty!
The Flight Of The Bumble Bee Rock (Instrumental)
Rimsky-Korsakov's fanciful "The Flight Of The Bumble Bee" shines among the many hundreds of rock covers. Splendid liquid whammy, a superb bass, and excellent drums power the melody line. The keys give it a bit of aural space. The arrangement is excellent.