Rodney Lee | Groove Kid Nation: The Wheels On The Bus

Album Review: Rodney Lee
| Groove Kid Nation: The Wheels on the Bus
By Brian Soergel

If you’re a contemporary jazz fan, Rodney Lee’s name may not immediately come to mind. But you’ve no doubt heard his music or seen him at a show, as he’s performed with Mindi Abair, Marc Antoine, Freddie Hubbard and many others. The keyboardist and record producer has also performed and written for almost 20 years with Chris Standring, and is a big part of the guitarist’s success as a co-collaborator.

Having said that, you have to be in the right demographic to truly appreciate Lee’s latest project, Groove Kid Nation. That demo is probably infant up to up to about 6 years old. And their parents, of course. Lee says he created the project, which feature numerous top session players, because he didn’t hear the kind of music he wanted his son, now 2, to get into.

The funky and soulful music is first-rate, but you probably wouldn’t want your friends hearing you listen to most of it. BUT, as a parent of a young child, you’ll be pleased when your little one wants to play “Wheels on the Bus” (vocals by Jeff Robinson). “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” (Janelle Saddler vocals) and “The Alphabet Song” (Saddleragain) over and over again. Probably because of the familiar, sing song lyrics. But there are planty of other moments you wouldn’t be embarrassed to share with older friends: “Froggy Went a Courtin’” is a James Brown-like funk-jam with an electrifying solo from Abair. “Bud the Bird,” likewise, has a ‘70s soul-vibe and groovy call-and-response from vocalist Malloy and a bunch of kids.

Also featured on the CD are bassist Andre Berry, trombonist Steve Baxter, flutist Katisse Buckingham, trumpeters Jamie Hovorka and Winston Bird, among among others.

Guaranteed to put some funk into your kids at an impressionable age.

Brian Soergel
The Urban Music Scene