Album of the Week – ‘Groovin’ by Greg Lyon and the Hip Operation
‘Groovin’ (Independent) by Greg Lyon and the Hip Operation is Eastside Radio’s Album of the Week.
Winding down the year Eastside has come across a cracking release featuring some of the most outstanding talent Australia has to offer. Heading up the release is quite achiever Greg Lyon. The pianist, vocalist and bassist’s enduring career spans form the 1960s and continues right through to this release, with experience behind him such as touring Asia and Europe, creating and teaching Australia’s first contemporary music degree at Southern Cross University, and performing with the likes of Renee Geyer, Richard Clapton, Rodriguez and Jon Cleary to name a few. Basking in the blues atmosphere of Byron Bay where he is currently based, Lyon extends his knowledge of Jazz and Soul and amalgamates these genre’s to create the experience of Greg Lyon and the Hip Operation.
Aptly titled ‘Groovin’, the work grounds itself in strong grooves shared amongst various engine room instruments. This becomes imperative in unifying the album as listeners transition from track to track noticing a lack of genre consistency, not by any means a flaw, more of a challenge, confidently approached and mastered by all involved. The Blues sound does lie at the heart of the the group, showcased throughout tracks such as ‘The Hip Operation’ (Track 4) and ‘The Makings of the Blues’ (Track 5), paying respect to it’s traditions yet is also infused delicately with a vitality gained through a desire to pair a contemporary approach with the genre. Carrying over the gospel sound yet shifting genre’s to a funk drive is ‘That’s The Plan’ (Track 3), featuring a slow burning groove again paying homage to tradition setting the bass as its driving force, yet offset with a jazzy horn section and sax solo and to add another dimension, a soft rock guitar solo too. This is the level of complexity Lyon has integrated throughout the entire work, yet from a listeners perspective it feels and sounds effortless. This is a release perfect for any Christmas stocking and should be a staple of all music collections.
Artist Listing:
Greg Lyon – bass/vocal
Scott Hills-drums
Jim Kelly -guitar
Wil Sargisson-keyboards
Martha Baartz-sax/flute
Shannon Marshall-trumpet/vocal
Vanessa Baker-vocal
Sheryl Black-vocal
and guest artists –
Dave Ades – Alto Sax
Jojo Smith
Rick Fenn
Kirk Lorange – Slide
Keree Buchanan
Hamish Stuart
Track Listing:
1. Wishing Well
2. What Does It Take?
3. Shake a Little
4. Some Crazy Dream
5. Cold Duck Time
6. The Hip Operation
7. The Makings of the Blues
8. Just a Little Bit
9. The Blues is My Business
10. Bet You Mama
11. Groovin’
You can follow Greg Lyon at https://www.greglyon.com.au. Be sure to tune in this week to 89.7FM EASTSIDE RADIO for your chance to WIN a copy of ‘Groovin’ by Greg Lyon and the Hip Operation. You must be a supporter to win so make sure to sign up at https://eastsidefm.org/support-us-2/. Don’t forget you can also stream the station at WWW.EASTSIDEFM.ORG.
