Something in Common (Sam Jones album)

Something in Common is a studio album by American jazz bassist Sam Jones, released on September 13, 1977 via the Muse label.^[1] The record, with three bonus tracks, was re-released on CD in 2000 and as a digital download in 2009.

Something in Common
Studio album by Sam Jones
Released	September 13, 1977
Recorded	April 1974 – September 13, 1977
Studio	C.I. Recording Studios, NYC.
Genre	Jazz
Length	1:02:22
Label	Muse MR 5149
Producer	Bob Porter, Cedar Walton
Sam Jones chronology
Changes & Things (1977) Something in Common (1977) Visitation (1978)
Alternative cover
CD cover (32 Jazz label)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
DownBeat	[3]

Alex Henderson of AllMusic wrote: "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").^[4] A reviewer with All About Jazz stated: "Jones' only original tune from that 1978 album, Seven Minds, opens the CD with one of his ominous solos, backed by Higgins' cymbaled shimmering and Walton's upper-register ornamentation, before Jones leads into an enthralling, charging modal romp that challenges all of the players."^[5] Zan Stewart assigned 4.5 stars to the album in DownBeat.^[3] He called the release a "superlative, straightforward blowing" session.^[3]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Seven Minds"	Jones	12:16
2.	"Bolivia"	Cedar Walton	7:03
3.	"Something in Common"	Cedar Walton	5:58
4.	"Every Man Is a King"	Slide Hampton	5:11
5.	"For All We Know"	J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis	5:22
6.	"Blue Silver"	Blue Mitchell	5:30
7.	"Shoulders"	Cedar Walton	7:17
8.	"One for Amos"	Jones	6:47
9.	"You Are the Sunshine of My Life"	Stevie Wonder	6:58
Total length:			01:02:22

Three songs, "Shoulders", "One for Amos", and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", are bonus tracks from the 1974 album, Cedar Walton-Firm Roots, included in later releases.

Personnel

Musicians

• Sam Jones – bass
• Blue Mitchell – trumpet
• Billy Higgins – drums
• Bob Berg – sax (tenor)
• Slide Hampton – trombone
• Louis Hayes – drums
• Cedar Walton – keyboards, producer, piano

Production

• Todd Barkan – compilation producer, liner notes
• Tom Copi – photography
• Thomas Hampson – engineer
• Chuck Irwin – engineer
• Gene Paul – mastering
• Bob Porter – original album producer
• Page Simon – cover design
• Dan Mueller – production coordination