Aaron J. Johnson: Big Fun Blues

With Victor Lewis nailing down what seems like a second-line groove, you might think that "Big Fun Blues" is headed toward Mardi Gras. Maybe hard bop by way of New Orleans is more like it. With many a chorus full of solos, the chords are celebrated in what at first seems like the modern mode. Lewis breaks away from that tasty shuffle to aid in Aaron J. Johnson's trombone flight, and we're at the Blue Note. But then that groove is back as bassist Robert Sabin steps to center stage. After a restatement of the head, a sly quote from "Down by the Riverside" confirms that these guys just want to have fun. Big fun.