Living Dangerously
by: TGZ
(King Mojo)
TGZ stands for Toler, Gary and Zinner, namely “Dangerous” Dan Toler, formerly of The Allman Brothers Band and more recently Dickey Betts and Great Southern; Ron Gary, the piano wizard who plays with Webster Young and Tom Browne; and Matt Zinner, former side man for Dickey Betts and Matt “Guitar” Murphy.
Talk about a winning combination. Combined with guest vocalists Tony Green, and John Townsend (Sanford Townsend Band, “Smoke from a Distant Fire”), and the masterful Floyd Miles, there's no way they can lose. Drummer John McKnight and bassist Avon Lucas are one tight rhythm section, and Viktor Krauss (Lyle Lovett Band) guests on upright bass.
The music is absolutely amazing, from the sweet seventies style soul of “Your Smile” and “Heart and Soul” to the beautiful “Summerwind” with it’s Dickey Betts/Allman brothers influence, and the jazzy wide open Larry Carlton-esque “RonReeKay.” “Pour Me Another Tall One,” which features more of those sensational soul vocals, features one of many B-3 workouts for Matt Zinner, and Toler just rips it up as always. This music is a sheer joy.
Three masterful musicians have combined their talents and brought in some friends to create a record that is Southern jazz with sprinklings of blues and a definite Allman Brothers air here and there. Just enough to make us old Capricorn Records fans smile with recognition, especially on the set closer, “Summerwind for Lauren.” Beautiful.
-Michael Buffalo Smith