Harvey Mason ”Earthmover”

Harvey Mason

”Earthmover”
( LP Arista Records, 1976 )
Catalog # AL 4096

Tracklisting:
A1 K.Y. And The Curb (4:56)
Arranged By [Strings] – J. Peters
Bass – Keith Hatchel
Electric Piano – Greg Phillinganes
Guitar – Lee Ritenour, Michael McGloiry
Horns – Seawind Horns
Piano [Acoustic], Organ – Paul Smith
Trombone – Bruce Fowler, Sally Mason
Trumpet – Kenny Mason
Vocals – Harvey Mason, Jerry Hey, Kenny Mason
Written-By – H. Mason, J. Peters
A2 Sho Nuff Groove (3:56)
Arranged By [Horns] – Seawind
Arranged By [Vocals] – H. Mason
Backing Vocals – Merry Clayton
Backing Vocals [Additional] – Louis Johnson
Bass, Guitar – Louis Johnson
Horns – Seawind Horns
Lead Vocals – Harvey Mason
Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano – Greg Phillinganes
Trombone – Bruce Fowler
Written-By – H. Mason, L. Johnson
A3 The Mase (4:10)
Bass – Keith Hatchel
Electric Piano – Greg Phillinganes
Guitar – Michael McGloiry, Ray Parker
Horns – Seawind Horns
Piano [Acoustic], Organ – Paul Smith
Strings [String Ensemble] – Harvey Jay “Hoppy” Mason
Synthesizer – Ian Underwood, Jerry Peters, Kenny Mason
Trombone – Bruce Fowler, Sally Mason
Trumpet – Kenny Mason
Written-By, Arranged By – H. Mason
A4 Sweet Mercy (5:49)
Arranged By – H. Mason
Arranged By [Vocals] – J. Peters
Backing Vocals – Harvey Mason, Jerry Peters, Merry Clayton
Bass – Keith Hatchel
Electric Piano – Greg Phillinganes
Guitar – Michael McGloiry
Piano [Acoustic], Organ – Paul Smith
Piano [Additional] – Jerry Peters
Saxophone [Tenor, Alto] – Ernie Watts
Written-By – H. Mason, J. Peters
B1 Earthmover Prelude (0:57)
Bass [Arco Bass] – Kenny Wild
Piano – Patrice Rushen
Synthesizer – Ian Underwood
Timpani [Tympani], Chimes – Harvey Mason
Written-By, Arranged By – H. Mason
B2 Bertha Baptist (5:43)
Arranged By – H. Mason
Bass – Anthony Jackson
Electric Guitar – Lee Ritenour
Electric Piano, Piano [Acoustic] – Patrice Rushen
Horns – Seawind Horns
Trombone – Bruce Fowler
Written-By – S. James
B3 First Summer (6:10)
Arranged By – B. Wilson
Bass – Anthony Jackson
Electric Piano, Piano [Acoustic] – Larry Williams
Horns – Seawind Horns
Trombone – Bruce Fowler, Sally Mason
Trumpet – Kenny Mason
Vibraphone [Vibes], Timpani [Tympani], Bells [Orchestra Bells], Wind Chimes – Harvey Mason
Written-By – B. Wilson, H. Mason
B4 No Lands Man (4:22)
Bass – Anthony Jackson
Drums – Harvey Mason
Synthesizer [Mini Moog] – Jan Hammer
Written-By – J. Hammer
B5 When I’m With You (Live Version) (4:25)
Bass – James Jamerson
Electric Piano – Greg Phillinganes
Guitar – Mike Simbello, Ray Parker
Horns – Seawind Horns
Trombone – Bruce Fowler, Sally Mason
Trumpet – Kenny Mason
Written-By, Arranged By – K. Mason

Credits:
Artwork By [Art Direction, Design] – Phil Fewsmith, Stephen Lumel
Artwork By [Cover Concept], Photography – Bob Wirtz
Cello – Dennis Karmazyn (tracks: A1, A4, B1)
Engineer [Assistant] – Geoff Gillette , Mike Beiriger, Rick Smith
Engineer, Mixed By – Phil Schier
Producer – Harvey Mason
Producer [Production Assistance] – Bob Wirtz, Kenny Mason, Marvin Mason
Viola – David Cambell (tracks: A1, A4, B1) , Thomas Buffum (tracks: A1, A4, B1)
Violin – Arthur Royval (tracks: A1, A4, B1) , Haim Shtrum (tracks: A1, A4, B1),
Jay Rosen (tracks: A1, A4, B1)
Violin, Concertmaster – Charles Veal (tracks: A1, A4, B1)

Notes:
Recorded at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California, June 1976.
Mixed at the Record Plant, Los Angeles, California, July 1976
Harvey Mason Plays Roger Drums
(C)(P) 1976 Arista Records, Inc.
A subsidiary of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1976

Review:
In the 1970s, Harvey Mason was one of those busy L.A.-based sessions players who had one foot in jazz and the other in R&B. The drummer backed his share of soul heavyweights (including Earth, Wind & Fire, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and the Brothers Johnson), but he never lost his jazz chops. Recorded in 1976, Earthmover is among the mostly instrumental albums that Mason provided during his stay at Arista. This self-produced LP, which finds him trying to balance commercial and creative considerations, is a mixed bag. Some of the material is strong, especially the cerebral fusion item “No Lands Man” (which boasts Jan Hammer on keyboards) and the funky “Bertha Baptist.” And the contemplative “First Summer” is an enjoyable track that reminds the listener of the underrated Hawaiian funk/fusion outfit Seawind, which isn’t surprising because it was co-written and arranged by Seawind’s Bob Wilson. Meanwhile, some of the more commercial jazz-funk and pop-jazz tracks are less impressive and tend to sound overproduced. But while Earthmover is uneven, it has more ups than downs. Overall, this isn’t a bad record, although Mason is capable of being more consistent.
By Alex Henderson (AMG)

By Pier