[CD Review] Time Capsule, Recorded In Teaneck, by Bill Warfield

Recorded In Teaneck...
Time Capsule
Bill Warfield and the Hell's Kitchen Funk Orchestra
(Planet Arts)

When Trumpeter/Composer/Arranger/Producer Bill Warfield was 18, he lost a lung and his front teeth in car accidents. He had to give up trumpet and learn flute. It wound up helping his breathing enough for him to return to his first love, the trumpet. On Time Capsule, his fourth CD with the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra, he unloads 12 tracks with, as he says, a “fervent emphasis on the power of the horns. My interests are so varied,” he continues, “I love classical. I love commercial. With this band and these horns, I can do anything!” And that’s exactly what he does.

You haven’t heard the ultimate possibilities of James Brown’s 1967 “Cold Sweat” until you’ve gotten down with the vivacious veracity of those horns! Return To Forever’s 1973 “Light As A Feather” never sounded better. He even makes me love Burt Bacharach’s 1966 “Alfie” again (a song I long ago gave up on). And how glorious is it that he resurrects the 1971 Temptations gem “Just My Imagination”? Even the mighty Rolling Stones, in 1978,  couldn’t get this song right! Warfield’s crew not only captures its intensity but improves upon its danceability! Then he gets serious with Weather Report’s 1975 jazz-rock fusion classic, “Man In The Green Shirt,” which rumbles on for a satisfying 7:35. And he digs into the way-back machine to 1950 for Percy Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone To Love.” With a cast of 16, Bill Warfield has created the party album of the year so far.

Order ‘Time Capsule’ at planetarts.org