A1 	Didn't We 	3:07
A2 	Lo-Slo-Bluze 	6:45
A3 	Put It All Togetha 	3:45
A4 	Complicity 	8:15
B1 	Chicago Light Green 	2:46
B2 	No Escaping It 	6:05
B3 	Milan Is Love 	5:05
B4 	Funk-A-De-Mama 	5:34

Jimmy Owens(Trumpet, Flugelhorn)
Kenny Barron(Piano, Electric Piano)
Chris White(Bass, Electric Bass [Fender])
Billy Cobham(Drums)
Howard Johnson(Tuba, Baritone Saxophone)
Billy Harper(Tenor Saxophone, Flute)
Ray Alonge(French Horn)
Sam Brown(Guitar)

Representing the native New Yorker's first album solely under his moniker, You Had Better Listen on Atlantic was credited to Jimmy Owens and Kenny Barron. Barron is on board playing piano, along with Chris White on bass and Billy Cobham on drums. Owens alternates playing trumpet and flügelhorn on eight self-compositions, with "Didn't We" (Jim Webb) and "Chicago Light" (Barron) the only exceptions. His tone is warm and his notes are decisive, particularly on flügelhorn. The mood-setting "Lo-Slo-Bluze" is a fitting tribute to the genre. Cobham keeps it together on "Put It All Together," where Owens' trumpet harmoniously connects with the Quartet Plus and extra players Howard Johnson (tuba, baritone sax), Billy Harper (tenor sax, flute), Ray Alonge (french horn) and Sam Brown (guitar). The LP's best effort comes on "Complicity," a fusion masterpiece that features a nodding acoustic bass solo from White, while Barron contributes on piano, playing some rapid, dancing chords, and gets into a cutting contest with Cobham's bombastic drumming. "No Escaping It" has a large ensemble sound, and while not immediately entrancing, its fluid changes and many solos, (including a ringing guitar trip by Brown) makes it special. The most romantic cut is "Milan Is Love," where Owens' caressing trumpeting shows that sentimentality can have an edge and still be sweet. The humorous "Funk-A-De-Mama" is what the title infers and then some. --- Andrew Hamilton, Rovi

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A1		You Had Better Listen	8:30
A2		The Night We Called It A Day	5:08
B1		Gichi	6:30
B2		Love, Where Are You?	6:51
B3		Carolina John	8:07

Bass – Christopher White
Drums – Freddie Waits (tracks: A1, A2, B2), Rudy Collins (tracks: B1, B3)
Piano – Kenny Barron
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Benny Maupin
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens

Kenny Barron and Jimmy Owens' first recording was a solid debut. The exciting title cut, "You Had Better Listen," composed by Jimmy Owens, is good, basic, uptempo jazz, nothing fancy, no frills. The Jimmy Owens-Kenny Barron Quintet doesn't condescend like some jazz artists tend to do; casuals can groove, relate, nod their heads in approval and feel righteous about it. Owens plays some beautiful trumpet scales, while Barron keeps busy banging chord progressions. The other members of the quintet are Benny Maupin (tenor sax, flute), Chris White (bass), Freddie Waits (drums on tracks one, two and four), and Rudy Collins (drums on tracks three through five). Owens' sparkling flügelhorn spices "The Night We Call It a Day." Barron composed the strutting "Gichi," Maupin and Owens blowing as one introduces the bebopper, White's bass is cool and steady, and Collins' drum work is incredibly creative. Owens comes in later and spits a series of darting trumpet hits before rejoining Maupin near the conclusion for a cutting contest. Moody and occasionally happy, but mostly maudlin, best describes "Love, Where Are You," an exercise in cool; Owens gives a trumpet clinic, while White's walking basslines titillate the ears. "Carolina John," is Maupin's best showcase, his flute work is understated throughout the LP, but he plays a mad tenor on this cut, his attention-getting solo is followed by some remarkable horn work by Owens. ---Andrew Hamilton, AllMusic Review

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