The other night, somebody I follow on Instagram posted this album, Tom Scott’s The Honeysuckle Breeze (feat. The California Dreamers) (1967), and I was almost immediately interested just from the album artwork alone. Tom Scott is a saxophonist from Los Angeles who has dabbled in jazz, rock, blues, r&b, and pop, and was a member of The Blues Brothers and leader of the jazz fusion group L.A. Express. The California Dreamers were a group of vocalists for the Impulse! record label around the time period. With that said, there’s not a whole bunch more I can find at a quick glance on the internet, so I’m going to jump on into the music.
“The Honeysuckle Breeze (feat. The California Dreamers)” starts out hot with some super intriguing sitar, vocals, drums, and bass that immediately pull you into the soundscape. Oh wow, Tom Scott’s saxophone comes in as something that seemingly puts you at ease against the tasty grain of the background. Oh wow, this super interesting, and really keeps the tempo grooving nicely the whole time, and seems to even pick up steam along the way. The background instrumentation provides a really intriguing backdrop for the saxophone as the background instruments seem to play off of one another as well as Tom Scott’s saxophone, as Scott seems to guide the tune along the way. Super sweet track.
“Never My Love (feat. The California Dreamers)” starts out with some super tasty lightly distorted guitar to get the tune going. Oh wow, the rhythm section is super groovy in this tune, with the bass and drums creating a lot of really pleasant space between the notes, where the vocalists of The California Dreamers seem to insert themselves and add a massive dose of sweetness to the soundscape. Oh wow, the flavor from Scott’s saxophone only furthers the sweet taste in the soundscape. Great track.
“She’s Leaving Home (feat. The California Dreamers)” is a cover of the classic tune from the likes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney from The Beatles, and really creates an extremely pleasant soundscape with the mixture of the harpsichord, which seemingly transports you to a time long forgotten, and the flute, which seems to beckon you through an old meadow of field of sorts, which combine with the sweetness of the vocals to create a super dream-inducing soundscape. Great cover of a great tune.
“Naima (feat. The California Dreamers)” is originally by John Coltrane, and holy smokes this blue jazz sound in this one is awesome. The stuttering airiness of the drums combine really nicely with the jazz piano and the smooth bass lines, which work with the vocals to gently groove the tune along, while Scott plays a seemingly increasingly soothing line on the saxophone. Great track.
“Mellow Yellow (feat. The California Dreamers)” is another cover, this time originally by Donovan, which starts out with some super laid-back grooves from the drums, bass, and staccato’d guitar chops, which seem to gradually walk the tune forward. Holy smokes, the bass gets extra fat and plays off of the saxophone to create a massive sound that the tune grooves along with. Oh wow, the vocals create a really California-esque pop sound that seems to verge on doo-wop at times, super sweet. Holy smokes, this tune is groovy. I really dig what sounds to be little accentuations from the sitar at times. Great tune.
“Baby I Love You (feat. The California Dreamers)” starts out with a super interesting sitar line that almost sounds like it’s trying to play some sort of rock and roll lines, while the saxophone goes in on this really nicely as the vocals fill up the soundscape with some doo-wop sounds. Oh wow, the band really gets a-groovin’ and a-jammin’ nicely in this one. The drums and bass have picked up a ton of intensity to sort of follow the direction Scott’s saxophone seems to be going. Really sweet tune.
“Today (feat. The California Dreamers)” is another cover, this time of the tune originally by Jefferson Airplane. Oh wow, I really dig this tune. The tempo seems to be a bit quicker than the original, but the jazz sounds from the saxophone and bass line, along with the vocals that seem to ease the soundscape from the sides, all combine for a super groovy rendition that gets pretty far out at times as the jam gets extended. Great track.
“North”, another cover of a tune originally by Joan Baez this time, creates a really sweet soundscape that feels delicately tinged with a slew a wintry folksy bluesy flavors with the acoustic guitar and the breeze-like background vocals, all while Scott’s saxophone seems to guide you through the soundscape as it comes on. Oh wow, the sitar takes the tune out even further than it already is as Scott leads the band into exploratory territory in an extended jam part. Super sweet tune.
“Blues for Hari” is the only original track on the album, and is filled with some quick blues-inflected jazz sounds as the snappy and tasty drums and groovy bass keep the rhythm section tight and expanding as Scott jams out on his saxophone. I really dig the chime-like piano/organs the add some super flavorful accentuations that Scott seems to incorporate nicely into his jam. Oh wow, it’s just the drums and bass for a second, and the bass wastes no time laying down a fat and tasty bass line that is gradually expanded as the saxophone and piano/organs comes in again. Really sweet jazz jam track.
“Deliver Me” is another cover tune, originally by Daniel Moore, which seems to take a more rock inflected vibe with some gospel-like background vocals that groove the tune along nicely alongside the tasty bass line, which makes its presence known with a really dynamic sound as it grooves alongside that sturdy drum beat. Oh wow, I really dig the clapping in this one. Scott’s saxophone again takes the tune into exploratory territory at times, but always seems to return to the main line at just the right time. Really sweet track and really nice way to wrap up the album.
Wow, I really dig this album. As someone who is quite fond of late-1960s music in general, I really dig the covers of the tunes by The Beatles, Donovan, Joan Baez, and Jefferson Airplane, as well as the cover of the John Coltrane track. If you dig jazz or jazz fusion at all, and you fond of late 1960s music (particularly 1967 it seems), you might want to consider checking out this album. The listening experience was an enjoyable one, especially when hearing some of my favorite tunes served up in a jazz-like form at times. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A