The recording session for Muse on September 13, 1977, that produced
Sam Jones'
Something in Common came only a day before the session that resulted in the acoustic bassist's Xanadu LP
Changes & Things. Both albums find
Jones leading sextets, although with different personnel. Trombonist
Slide Hampton, trumpeter
Blue Mitchell, and tenor saxman
Bob Berg join
Jones on both sessions; however,
Something in Common finds
Cedar Walton on piano instead of
Barry Harris and
Billy Higgins on drums instead of
Louis Hayes. In the 1970s,
Jones' recordings as a leader were quite consistent, and
Something in Common is a rewarding example of the type of solid, hard-swinging bop and post-bop that people expected from him. The only Jones piece that the sextet embraces is "Seven Minds"; other selections were written by
Hampton ("Every Man Is a King"),
Walton ("Something in Common" and the better known "Bolivia"), and
Mitchell ("Blue Silver"). Sadly,
Mitchell's career was cut short only two years after
Something in Common was recorded; in 1979, the
Clifford Brown-influenced trumpeter died of cancer at 49. Originally released on vinyl by Muse,
Something in Common was reissued on CD in 2000 with three bonus tracks -- "One for Amos," "Shoulders," and
Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" are from
Walton's Muse release
Firm Roots, which was recorded live in Rochester, NY, in April 1974. The group formed by
Walton,
Jones, and
Hayes is essentially a bop trio even though
Walton is on electric piano and the musicians are interpreting an R&B/pop hit. This CD is well worth hearing.