Often as not, a musician's archive tapes end up being mere curios, interesting only to historians and die-hard fans. Thankfully, the aptly titled
Hot Coffey in the D: Burnin' at Morey Baker's Showplace Lounge isn't one of these. Detroit guitarist and producer
Dennis Coffey (one of Motown's famed
Funk Brothers and a hitmaker in his own right), organ virtuoso bandleader
Lyman Woodard, and drummer
Melvin Davis, played weekly at the storied club on Detroit's West Side. They'd been together two years working constantly, and their woodshedding shows: This trio is as committed to discovery as they are to a discerning audience. The instrumental set (originally recorded by
Mike Theodore and
Bryan Dombrowski) captures Detroit's soul-jazz scene at a creative lift-off point.