Hot Barbeque

Jack McDuff had an excellent quartet for this mid-'60s soul-jazz outing, which included Red Holloway on saxes, George Benson on guitar, and Joe Dukes on drums. Nothing remarkable, just very enjoyable, high-spirited music, particularly on the title track, punctuated by shouts of the title phrase. There are mostly McDuff originals here, though things are slowed down with a cover of "Cry Me a River," while Benson gets a chance to unveil his best early jazz chops on "The Three Day Thang." ~ Richie Unterberger