In Your Own Time is all about the groove. You can hear it in every track, in how everyone just settles down and plays in the pocket. There’s not a lot of showy, technical racing around the chart, just the easy, flowing, dancing groove. You can tell that Eric Frazier gets a lot of the influence for his music from dance, because this music is made for movement. This Conga player, dancer, vocalist and composer definitely seems to have had a good time making this album, mixing all his favorite styles and sounds into a beautiful, vibrant collection of original tracks.
"Feeling So Unnecessary" starts out the album with a funky piano riff backed up by Frazier on congas and Alvin Atkinson on the drum set. The tune spends a good amount of time just stewing, leaving plenty of empty space between the horn lines. Jeremy Pelt does some fine trumpet work and Danny Mixon takes a solo on the piano before turning it over to Frazier for some funky conga work.
To switch gears, there’s the Latin-inspired "Que Tenga Un Buendia". The salsa beat begs for a dance and the horns make their lines snappy and sharp. Frazier brings in some background vocals for this chart to give it more of a chorus feeling, like something being played at a community gathering where everyone joins in singing.
Most of the charts on this album, however, are solid, straight-ahead swing tunes with some of Frazier’s unique flair. "The Jazz Spot" has him singing a fast bop, exemplifying everything the name implies. "I’m Impressed" is a little more laid back, but still has the same Basie-style piano licks to keep it swinging. "Like a Lion in the Serengeti" is a tribute written for Lou Rawls, an uptempo shuffle tune that features some great Chicago-style blues solos by all the players.
This doesn’t sound like a studio-recorded album. This sounds like a bunch of fellow musicians getting together to play on a Sunday afternoon. There’s a very laid-back, easy-going feel to the whole album, a focus on the groove and the overall sound. Everybody swings to the same beat and it shows in the seamless communication and rhythmic integrity of the group on the whole. Very good listening overall, and highly recommended to anyone who sings in their car or dances in their bedroom