Western Man / Mose in Your Ear

Mose In Your Ear is fantastic. Parts of the other is also that good. Mose Allison is an amazing piano player, and this lets him perform extended solos. Some of his best songs are in the live portion.

This set, specifically "Western Man," appears to be an attempt to update the sound of Mose's recordings, in part through use of electronic keyboards, and also in part by using younger musicians, such as Billy Cobham on drums. While this "updated" sound doesn't necessarily detract from the enjoyment of the material, it does tend to date the sound of the records, which always happens when one tries to be "contemporary." It's a bit like fashion; the classic styles endure forever, while "modern" styles come and go. "Fashionable" clothing purchased five years ago is grossly out of style now. So it is with music. One need only look to the disco of the 70s and the over-produced characteristics of 80s pop for examples of this. Now, I happen to enjoy both 70s disco and 80s pop, but their sounds are definitely dated. "Modernizing" attempts at jazz in the 60s produced similar results, and this is indicated on recordings from that era by Vince Guaraldi, and, in this instance, Mose Allison.