Monday 31 May 2010

Wayne Henderson "Emphasized"

Wayne Henderson

"Emphasized"
( LP Polydor Records, 1979 )
Catalog # PD-1-6227


Tracklisting:
A1 Dancin' Love Affair
A2 Feel The Fire
A3 For You
A4 I Want'cha To Dance
A5 Get The Ants Out Ya Pants
B1 Monte Carlo
B2 Starry Eyes
B3 Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
B4 I Keep Looking For A Better Way
B5 So In Love With You

Personnel & Credits:
Ron Banks , Vocals
Roland Bautista , Guitar
Alex Brown , Vocals (bckgr)
James Gadson , Drums
Dean Gant Synthesizer, Clavinet
Wayne Henderson , Bass
Miki Howard , Vocals (bckgr)
Augie Johnson , Handclapping
Bobby Lyle , Keyboards
Nathaniel Phillips , Bass
John Reasons , Vocals (bckgr)
John Shylun , Synthesizer
Vance "Mad Dog" , Tenort Percussion
Ed Thumbs , Bass
Narada Michael Walden, Drums
Ernie Watts, Flute
Angela Winbush, Vocals (bckgr)
Mastered By - Joe Gastwirt
Producer - Wayne Henderson

Notes:
Mixed at Total Experience Recording Studios and Ocean Way Studios.

Review:
The mighty Wayne Henderson never lets us down and even on a record like this, with a cheesy cover and a slightly confused image, his wicked studio talents still come through plenty strong! The album's a great example of the At-Home Productions mode at its best a warmly collaborative effort that has Henderson working with an array of top-shelf studio players and jazzmen, plus vocalists Johnny Reason and Ron Banks. Side one is mostly soul-based vocal numbers, and side two is all jazz with some especially nice keyboards from Bobby Lyle. Titles include "I Keep Looking For A Better Way", "Starry Eyes", "Monte Carlo", "Dancin Love Affair", "Feel The Fire", "I Want'cha To Dance", and "Get The Ants Out Ya Pants".
From Dusty Groove America, Inc. (Copyright © 2010, All rights reserved)

By Celo

Sunday 30 May 2010

Shadow ''Love Lite''

Shadow

''Love Lite''
( LP Elektra Records, 1979 )
Catalog # 6E-233


Tracklisting:
A1 I Need Love
A2 No Better Love
A3 Enjoy Ya
B1 Love Lite
B2 Say It Again
B3 Get It

Credits:
Keyboards - Daniel Lazarus
Percussion, Drums - Kenneth Williams
Producer - Don Mizell , Williams, Beck, Willis, Inc.
Vocals, Guitar, Bass - Clarence Willis
Written-By - Willie Beck, Clarence Willis, James Williams

Notes:
Format:Vinyl, LP, Album
Country:US
Released:1979

Biography:
Shadow spun off from the Ohio Players around 1979 and hung around long enough (three years) to record three albums. Their identity was shrouded in mystery, James "Diamond" Williams (drummer), William "Billy" Beck (keyboards), and Chet Willis (guitar) were seemingly the main members. Other musicians supplemented the trio in the studio; live, their lineup resembled the Ohio Players. Their first LP, Love Life, surfaced on Elektra Records in 1979 and featured songs composed by Williams, Beck, and Willis; the three shared productions credit with Don Mizell. Ironically, Williams and Beck supposedly didn't play on Love Life, the only credited musician is Willis. A press release from Elektra states: "Who are the players on ‘Love Lite'? Only Shadow knows!"
The players were in fact Daniel Zazurus (keyboards), Kenneth Williams, Diamond's brother (drums), Robert Bryant, Garnett Brown, Ernie Fields, Delbert Taylor, Azar Lawrence, and Fred Wesley. Elektra marketed two singles from the LP: "I Need Love" which charted at number 77, and "No Better Love" which soared five slots better at number 72. A second LP, Shadow, emerged a year later with Leon Ware producing. Again the actual players remain a mystery -- no credits. Like the first set, the group wrote the bulk of the numbers, often with Ware credited as co-writer. A single release, "Mystery Dancer," at number 68, obtained a higher chart position than their two previous singles. It may have done better if the disc jockeys hadn't flipped it, the B-side, "Hot City," charted two months later at number 75. The final Shadow album, Shadows in the Street, sealed their fate. No hits charted from this collection produced by Leon Ware. In fact, Shadow never really got off like Williams, Beck, and Willis had anticipated, the singles that charted were nothing compared to what they enjoyed with the Ohio Players. Accustomed to much more, and possibly spoiled by previous success, Shadow disbanded. Whether they called it quits, or Elektra pulled the plugged, no more Shadow albums dropped, and Williams and Willis eventually gravitated back to the revamped Ohio Players; Beck pursued other opportunities.
By Andrew Hamilton
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

By Pier

Friday 28 May 2010

James Brown & The James Brown Band ''Ain't It Funky''

James Brown & The James Brown Band

''Ain't It Funky''
( LP King Records, 1970 )
Catalog # KS-1092


Tracklisting:
A1 Ain't It Funky Now (Part 1 & 2) 9:26
A2 Fat Wood (Part 1 & 2) 9:15
B1 Cold Sweat 5:17
B2 Give It Up Turn It Loose 3:45
B3 Nose Job 2:30
B4 Use Your Mother 3:25
B5 After You Done It 3:28
*Bonus Track: Ain't It Funky Now (Pt. 2) 3:10

Credits:
Engineer [Audio] - Dave Harrison, Ron Lenhoff
Other [Production Manager] - Bud Hobgood
Producer - James Brown
Charles Bobbit - Composer
James Brown - Composer, Vocals
Pee Wee Ellis - Composer
Bud Hobgood - Composer
Jimmy Nolan - Composer

Notes:
Format:Vinyl, LP
Country:US
Released:1970
Side B is instrumental recorded between 1966 & 1969
Distributed by Starday-King Records, Inc.

By Pier

My Favourite Sound© Presents: ''The Papa Rodriguez Tribute'' - The Early Years

My Favourite Sound© Presents:

''The Papa Rodriguez Tribute''
The Early Years
(Selected & Compiled by JP)


Tracklisting:
Aleems - Release Yourself (Aleems Mix)
Arthur Baker - Jazzy Break Down (Instrumental)
B-Beat Girls - Beat Classic (Vocal)
Davy DMX - One For The Treble (Fresh) (Instrumental )
Fantasy Three - Summer (Vocal)
Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Don't Do It) (Long Version)
Hardrock Soul Movement - The Beat Is Mine (12'' Extended Version)
Ice-T - You Played Yourself
Imperial Brothers - We Come To Rock (Club Version)
K-Matic - Breakin' In Space (Vocal)
Konk - Konk Party (Master Cylinder's Jam) (New York City Club Mix)
Kurtis Blow - Party Time (Club Mix)
Living Colour - Funny Vibe (Instrumental Mix)
Run DMC - Jam Master Jay (Vocal)
Special Request - Take It To The Max
The Russell Brothers - The Party Scene (Short Version)
The Smurfs - Smurf For What It's Worth (Instrumental)
Time Zone - The Wild Style (Original Mix Instrumental)
Whodini - Magic's Wand (Extended Mix)
Xena - On The Upside (Vocal)


Notes:

Format: Compilation
Compiled & Selected By JP
A My Favourite Sound© Production, 2010
Foto courtesy of Michele Nucci (Copyright © 2010, All rights reserved)

Available here.

Wednesday 26 May 2010

Johnny "Hammond" Smith ''Opus De Funk''

Johnny "Hammond" Smith

''Opus De Funk''
( LP Prestige Records, 1961 )
Catalog # PR 7420


Tracklisting:
1. Opus De Funk
2. Almost Like Being in Love
3. Autumn Leaves
4. Sad Eyes
5. Gone With The Wind
6. If Someone Had Told Me
7. Shirley’s Theme

Personnel & Notes:
Johnny “Hammond” Smith – Organ
Eddie McFadden – Guitar
Freddie McCoy – Vibraphone
Wendell Marshall – Double Bass
Leo Stevens – Drums
Tracks 1-3 recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, February 14, 1961
Tracks 4-7 recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, May 12, 1961
** Also part of Prestige PRCD 24291-2

Reviews:
While organist Johnny ‘Hammond’ Smith never attained the status of Jimmy Smith , he nonetheless fronted first-rate bands and accumulated a fine discography. Recorded in 1961, Opus de Funk brings together two Smith albums in one package, Stimulation and Opus de Funk . Since the same band — vibraphonist Freddie McCoy , guitarist Eddie McFadden , bassist Wendell Marshall , and drummer Leo Stevens — played on both sets, and since both albums aren’t very long by contemporary standards, the pair fit snuggly on the same set. The really unusual element here is the presence of McCoy , because one doesn’t usually associate vibes with jazz organ combos. The vibes work, however, and give the resonance of Smith ’s organ a lighter counterpoint that brightens up the overall sound. The band delivers fine versions of familiar pieces — ‘Cry Me a River,’ ‘Autumn Leaves,’ and ‘Gone With the Wind’ — alongside newer pieces like ‘Ribs an’ Chips’ and ‘Que Pasa?’ With a couple of exceptions, this snappy unit likes to keep things tight, and seldom extends a piece for over five minutes. The one big exception is Smith ’s ‘Ribs an’ Chips,’ a breezy eight-minute bit of blues with fine solos by McFadden and McCoy . Opus de Funk is a welcome reissue and will be greeted warmly by jazz organ fans.
By Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

======================================

Fantasy/Prestige has just released a re-mastered twofer album by Johnny "Hammond" Smith made up of the 1961 albums Stimulation and Opus de Funk.
This record rates some interest just by being organ based jazz, not a real common thing. Other than a few Fats Waller sides, I don't know when I've heard any.
Beyond that novelty, it's pretty listenable, but not anything earthshaking. It doesn't particularly have the high mathematical intellectual interest of, say, Thelonious Monk or Duke. Nor does it have the deep searing soul of classic Miles Davis.
These albums were recorded several years before James Brown defined "funk" as we now know it. So don't be expecting some Bootsy Collins freakery, or anything real radical. Indeed, half of these albums seem rather too mellow to reasonably be called "funky" even by pre-JB standards.
The better parts of this, though, just have some good jamming. "Sticks and Stones" and "Stimulation" (the framing songs of the Stimulation album) rate as the best groovin' jams to my ears. They get going with that organ and the vibes together, and you could use this for some good catchy midtempo dance music.
Short answer, if the idea of jazz organ jams appeals to you, this disc definitely rates a listen.
From Blogcritics (Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved)

More info here.


Thanks to Heup1 for provide this gem.
By Pier

Message To The Members: Keep Our Links Alive!


To all the members:

Help MFS to keep our links alive!
Spread to our friends and buddies, but please don't post them on blogs or sites!
Thank you in advance!

Please visit this page:
http://myfavvouritesound.blogspot.com/p/requests.html

Tuesday 25 May 2010

The Third Wave "Here And Now"

The Third Wave

"Here And Now"
( LP MPS Records, 1970 )
Catalog # MPS 14263


Tracklisting:
A1 - Waves Lament 2:56
A2 - Niki 3:05
A3 - Maiden Voyage 5:00
A4 - Got To Get You Into My Life 2:36
A5 - Stormy 3:12
B1 - Chloe 6:57
B2 - Once There Was A Time 3:23
B3 - Eleanor Rigby 3:18
B4 - Don't Ever Go 2:28
B5 - Cantaloupe Island 4:09

Personnel & Credits:
Arranged By, Conductor - George Duke
Drums - Stu Martin
Featuring - George Duke Trio
Producer - Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer

Notes:
Recorded Nov.69/Jan.70 in Munich

Review:
This is an incredible Jazz vocal group from a musical family of Jazz musicians residing from Northern California. Recorded in the 60's, backed by the George Duke Trio/Orchestrations, this is as natural and swinging as Jazz vocal groups come. Their phrasing, harmony,intonation and background of the Jazz idiom will astound even the most purist Jazz listeners. Listen to these sisters sing and you'll set new standards for your enjoyment of Jazz or any vocal ensemble!
By Robbie Kwock (Amazon.com) (Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved)

By Celo

Monday 24 May 2010

Coleman Hawkins/Ben Webster "Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster"

Coleman Hawkins/Ben Webster

( LP Verve Records, 1957 )
Catalog # MGV 8327
** Also issued on Verve MGVS 6066.


Personnel & Tracklisting:
Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster - Tenor Sax
Oscar Peterson - Piano
Herb Ellis - Guitar
Ray Brown - Bass
Alvin Stoller - Drums

Capitol Studios, Vine Street, Hollywood, CA, October 16, 1957

21764-4 Blues For Yolanda
21766-2 It Never Entered My Mind
21767-2 Prisoner Of Love
21768-3 Tangerine
21769-4 La Rosita
21771-4 Shine On Harvest Moon
21772-2 You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

Review:
Coleman Hawkins w/ Ben Webster. These aren't encounters in the confrontational sense, but a merger of great musical minds.
By Ron Wynn
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

By Rob

Lionel Hampton & His Jazz Inner Circle Band ''Live At Salle Pleyel Mar. 9th 1971 - Part One''

Lionel Hampton & His Jazz Inner Circle Band

''Live At Salle Pleyel Mar. 9th 1971 - Part One''
( Laserlight/RGE Records, Brasil, 1994 )
Catalog # 36133


Tracklisting:
1.Opening Theme
2.Air Mail Special
3.Big Joe
4.Summertime
5.Sunny Side Of The Street
6.Mess Is Here
7.Ghost Of A Chance
8.Robbin's Nest

Personnel & Credits:
Kenneth Bolds - Drums
Milt Buckner - Piano
Philippe Carles - Photography, Research Assistant, Redaction
Marc Exiga - Executive Producer
Daniel Filipacchi - Producer
Guido Frasca
Eustis Guillemet, Jr. - Bass
Lionel Hampton - Piano, Drums, Voices, Vibraphone
Illinois Jacquet - Sax (Tenor)
Michel Laverdure - Liner Notes
Billy Mackel - Guitar
Marie-Francoise Paris - Coordination
Bob Snyder - Clarinet
John Spruill - Piano
Frank Ténot - Producer

Note:
Starring Illinois Jacquet & Milt Buckner!
Exemplary jazz in front of an appreciative Parisian audience.
* Also on Trema Records (1991-2001, Catalog # 710587)

Review:
In 1971, Lionel Hampton still had it, especially when he played Europe. Things were a little more in the Las Vegas showtime mode by then, but he had the players to make all that strutting seem appropriate. On this Paris date, Hampton's band included no less than organist and pianist Milt Buckner and tenor men Illinois Jacquet and Chuck McLendon, as well as Tommy Gambino on alto with six others. Hampton's own form is solid. He never wavered on the vibes even in his latest days; they seemed to be an extension of who he was as a person. The program here is all swinging blues that range from chestnuts like "Sunny Side of the Street"; Benny Goodman's "Air Mail Special"; "Ghost of a Chance"; Jacquet's steaming "Robin's Nest"; and, of course, "Big Joe," among others. The playing is flawless, the inspiration is in the delight of delivering this classic music to an appreciative audience, and the showmanship was spectacular, despite its familiarity. This may not be the most necessary live Hampton date, or his greatest band, but it is a worthy disc for fans to own.
By Thom Jurek
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

By Pier

Sunday 23 May 2010

Tower Of Power ''Bump City''

Tower Of Power

''Bump City''
( LP Warner Bros. Records, 1972 )
Catalog # K 46167


Tracklisting:
A1 - You Got To Funkifize 4:31
A2 - What Happened To The World That Day? 4:12
A3 - Flash In The Pan 3:35
A4 - Gone 3:42
Written-By - G. Adams, S. Mesquite
A5 - You Strike My Main Nerve 2:53
Written-By - L. Gordon, L. Williams
B1 - Down To The Nightclub 2:43
Written-By - D. Garibaldi
B2 - You're Still A Young Man 5:36
B3 - Skating On Thin Ice 3:39
B4 - Of The Earth 4:33

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Francis Rocco Prestia
Congas, Vocals - Brent Byars
Drums - David Garibaldi
Engineer - Ron Capone
Guitar, Vocals - Willie James Fulton
Lead Vocals - Rick Stevens
Mixed By - Ron Capone , Steve Cropper
Piano, Organ - Jay Spell (tracks: A2, B2, B4)
Producer - Ron Capone , Tower Of Power
Saxophone [Baritone], Vocals - Stephen Kupka
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute, Vocals - Skip Mesquite
Saxophone [Tenor], Vocals - Emilio Castilio
Trumpet, Flugelhorn, French Horn, Piano, Vocals - Greg Adams
Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Vocals - Mic Gillette
Written-By - E. Castillo (tracks: A1 to A3, A5 to B4) , S. Kupka (tracks: A1 to A3, A5 to B4)

Review:
The second Tower of Power LP, Bump City was the first to make any impact. The group went to Memphis, cut their first great single in "You're Still A Young Man," and learned firsthand about funk and soul. The production and arrangements were much improved over the debut album, as was the engineering and overall technical quality. Their lines were crisper, the unison and ensemble passages much sharper, and they were beginning to round into shape.
By Ron Wynn
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

By Celo

The Mar-Keys "Memphis Experience"

The Mar-Keys

"Memphis Experience"
( LP Stax Records, 1971 )
Catalog # STS 2036


Tracklisting:
A1 - Cloud Nine
A2 - After The Affair
A3 - Reach Out I'll Be There
B1 - Angel Dust
B2 - Hummingbird
B3 - Let It Be
B4 - Creeper's Funkatrations

Personnel & Credits:
Steve Cropper - guitar
Donald "Duck" Dunn - bass
Charles "Packy" Axton - tenor sax
Don Nix - saxophone
James Terry Johnson - piano, drums
Wayne Jackson - trombone, trumpet
Jerry Lee "Smoochie" Smith - keyboards
Booker T. Jones - keyboards
Isaac Hayes - organ
Al Jackson, Jr. - drums

Review:
The Mar-Keys had a history of strange personnel changes; their previous LP (1969's Damifiknow!) had basically been Booker T. & the MG's-plus-horn section playing under the Mar-Keys name. Yet Memphis Experience was even stranger, demonstrating that the Mar-Keys at this point meant nothing more to Stax than a name that could be exploited. Three of the seven cuts were Bar-Kays outtakes that were scrapped when that band underwent one of its own numerous reorganizations. The rest of the album was recorded by an assortment of Memphis musicians. The result was serviceable period instrumental soul-funk, occasionally creeping into psychedelia (especially on the nine-minute "Cloud Nine," with several minutes of weird screams and whispers). It's an oddity in the Stax discography, related to the rest of the Mar-Keys' releases in name only, and not worth paying attention to unless you're determined to track down every available Stax recording. The album was combined with the 1969 Mar-Keys LP Damifiknow! onto a single set reissue in 1994.
By Richie Unterberger
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

By Celo

Saturday 22 May 2010

Sammy Davis Jr. ”Something For Everyone”

Sammy Davis Jr.


”Something For Everyone”

( LP Tamla Motown, 1970 )
Catalog # 710


Tracklisting:
Side One
1. Spinning Wheel (D.C. Thomas)
2. You’d Better Sit Down, Kids (S. Bono)
3. For Once In My Life (R. Miller/O. Murden)
4. My Way (Anka/Revaux/Francois)
5. Wichita Lineman (J. Webb)
Side Two
1. And When I Die (L. Nyro)
2. In The Ghetto (S. Davis)
3. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy (B. Gordy Jr./P. Holloway/B.Holloway/F. Wilson)
4. Hi-Heel Sneakers (Higginbotham)

Credits:
Arranged By - Billy Strange , George Rhodes
Artwork By [Art Direction] - Ken Kim
Artwork By [Cover Design] - Ken Kim
Artwork By [Liner Design] - Bovema Art Studio , Ken Kim
Engineer - Eddie Brackett
Other [Creative Consultant] - Deke Richards
Photography - Ken Kim
Producer - Jimmy Bowen
Producer [Assistant] - Richard Burns

Reviews:
Sammy Davis, Jr. and other MOR artists signed by Motown, failed to chart. The label didn’t release any singles from this LP and that didn’t help. A bigger problem, however, was that other than carrying the Motown logo, the platter had nothing to do with the Motown sound. The label made no attempt to craft songs for Sammy like Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff later did for Jerry Butler, Joe Simon, the O’Jays, Wilson Pickett, Dusty Springfied, and others. This is a typical Easy Listening album, produced by Jimmy Bowen that’s not remotely related to Motown. When Gamble & Huff produced Lou Rawls the tracks differed from anything Rawls had done, but they tailored them to his voice and style, and used the same musicians and arrangers that they used for Archie Bell & the Drells, and others - this wasn’t even recorded at Motown. Still, Something For Everybody is no dog, it’s just not innovative. Sammy smokes “Spinning Wheel,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “In The Ghetto,” in his impressive, brassy masculine tenor. He does a couple of Motown remakes, the popular “You Made Me So Very Happy,” and “For Once In My Life.” The most adventurous cut is a rendition of Tommy Tuckers’ “Hi-Heel Sneakers.”
By Andrew Hamilton
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

===========================

Not something I would normally have picked up but had to get this album for the cover alone and bonus the music is great.
Everyone surely knows Sammy Davis Jr, singer, musician, dancer, actor, comedian. All-round entertainer from a generation that revelled in his type of performer. Of course member of the legendary ‘rat-pack’ that included Frank Sintatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. He had great success throughout the Sixties but his popularity wained as the music world changed and he just wasn’t ‘hip’ anymore as the decade reached its end.
Something For Everyone was released in 1970 by Tamla Motown and would seem to have been an attempt to revitalise his career with a younger crowd who were now listening to wildly different sounds than he’d been used to. The album was not well received at the time which is in some part a failing of Motown to apply their successful formula to his talents, they didn’t even release any singles from it. Despite this the album is great and he does his best with some wonderful takes of Spinning Wheel, In The Ghetto, and Wichita Lineman.

By Pier

Three From Gil Scott-Heron!

Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson

“Bridges”
( LP Arista Records, 1977 )
Catalog # AB-4147


Tracklisting:
A1 Hello Sunday! Hello Road!
A2 Song Of The Wind
A3 Racetrack In France
A4 Vildgolia (Deaf, Dumb & Blind)
B1 Under The Hammer
B2 We Almost Lost Detroit
B3 Tuskeegee #626
B4 Delta Man (Where I’m Coming From)
B5 95 South (All Of The Places We’ve Been)

Personnel & Credits:
Bilal Sunni Ali - Saxophone
Joe Blocker - Drums
Danny Bowens - Bass
Reggie Brubane - Drums
Tony Duncanson - Percussion
Larry Fallon - Arranger, Producer
Marlo Henderson - Guitar
Brian Jackson - Flute, Keyboards, Producer
Fred Payne - Guitar
Gil Scott-Heron - Guitar, Piano, Producer
Delbert Tailor - Trumpet
Barnett Williams - Percussion
Tom Wilson - Producer

Review:
Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, and the Midnight Band take a slightly different approach with their 1977 effort, Bridges. With less of the gaping and world-infused sound prevalent on previous albums, the songs are more concise and Scott-Heron comes into his own as a singer depending less on his spoken word vocal style. This album may not be one of his better-known releases (the long out of print LP is slated to make it’s reissue debut in the fall of 2001), but the excellent songwriting exposes Scott-Heron at the height of his powers as a literary artist. The social, political, cultural, and historical themes are presented in a tight funk meets jazz meets blues meets rock sound that is buoyed by Jackson’s characteristic keyboard playing and the Midnight Band’s colorful arrangements. Scott-Heron’s ability to make the personal universal is evident from the opening track, “Hello Sunday! Hello Road!,” all the way through to the gorgeous “95 South (All of the Places We’ve Been).” The most popular cut on the album, “We Almost Lost Detroit,” which shares its title with the John G. Fuller book published in 1975, recounts the story of the nuclear meltdown at the Fermi Atomic Power Plant near Monroe, MI, in 1966. This song was also contributed to the No Nukes concert and album in 1980. Along with the two records that would follow in the late 70s, Bridges stands as one of Scott-Heron’s most enjoyable and durable albums.
By Jeff Schwachter
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

Gil Scott-Heron And Brian Jackson

“It’s Your World”
( 2XLP Arista Records, 1976 )
Catalog # AL 5001


Tracklisting:
A1 It’s Your World 3:52
A2 Possum Slim 6:00
A3 New York City 4:45
B1 17th Street 5:45
B2 Tomorrow’s Trane 7:20
B3 Must Be Something 5:20
C1 Home Is Where The Hatred Is 12:10
C2 Bicentennial Blues 8:40
D1 The Bottle 13:30
D2 Sharing 5:55

Personnel & Credits:
Bilal Sunni Ali - Flute, Sax (Tenor), Horn Arrangements
Ted Bodner - Assistant Engineer
Danny Bowens - Arranger, Bass (Electric), Vocals
Reggi Brisbane - Percussion, Drums
Victor Brown - Vocals
Malcolm Cecil - Remastering
Tony Duncanson - Percussion, Bongos, Conga, Timbales
Brian Jackson - Synthesizer, Flute, Piano, Piano (Electric), Vocals, Producer
Ralph Moss - Engineer, Mixing
Gil Scott-Heron - Guitar, Piano, Arranger, Piano (Electric), Vocals, Producer, Liner Notes
Jerry Solomon - Assistant Engineer
Delbert Taylor - Trumpet
Neal Teeman - Assistant Engineer
Barnett Williams - Percussion, Conga
Tom Wilson - Associate Producer

Review:
This Gil Scott-Heron double album, roughly two thirds of which was recorded live in Boston on July 2-4, 1976, makes the most of its Centennial-centric time frame. Between the American flag striped cover art and Heron’s spoken word spiel on an 8-and-a-half minute poem/rant “Bicentennial Blues,” the album loses little of its impact, regardless of how the years have mildewed once fresh political topics like Nixon, Agnew, and Watergate. Four of its songs are studio recordings (”It’s Your World,” “Possum Slim,” “New York City,” and “Sharing”), and even though they’re up to Heron’s usual jazz/blues/pop standards, the disc is most effective on the concert tracks. As he explains in the 2000 penned liner notes, The Midnight Band was a compelling live unit and one listen to the brisk, electrifying, 13-minute rendition of “The Bottle,” one of Heron’s most penetrating tracks, is all you’ll need to understand why. More importantly, like the best protest music, these tunes have lost none of their lyrical edge or incisiveness throughout the years. Musically the band is taut and rehearsed down to the finest time change, yet loose enough to open up on the jams. The heavy Latin percussion/flute/piano — but remarkably guitar-less — sound is equal parts Santana and Mongo Santamaria with a strong jazz current throughout, especially on the John Coltrane tribute “Trane,” featuring tenor hornman Bilal Sunni-Ali’s fiery lead. Scott-Heron’s deep, mellifluous voice is alternately soothing and cutting, infusing the music with heart and soul, while keeping the sound focused even during the longer improvisations. Only a dated ’70s drum solo belies the year this was recorded. Chestnuts like “Home Is Where the Hatred Is” explode in extended live versions that become definitive readings of the tunes. Remastered for its reissue, It’s Your World crackles with energy, presenting an accomplished band at their peak and placing the listener practically on stage for the live tracks with acoustics that are full, yet airy and spacious. One of Gil Scott-Heron’s best albums as well as a compelling musical time capsule, the disc is proof of the artist’s musical and lyrical acuity and is a moving listening experience.
By Hal Horowitz
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

Gil Scott-Heron

”Pieces Of A Man”
( LP Flying Dutchman Records, 1971 )
Catalog # FD 10143


Tracklisting:
A1 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised 2:59
A2 Save The Children 4:55
A3 Lady Day And John Coltrane 3:10
A4 Home Is Where The Hatred Is 3:15
A5 When You Are Who You Are 3:01
A6 I Think I’ll Call It Morning 3:45
B1 Pieces Of A Man 4:22
B2 A Sign Of The Ages 4:05
B3 Or Down You Fall 3:08
B4 The Needle’s Eye 4:01
B5 The Prisoner 8:39

Personnel & Credits:
Artwork By [Design] - Haig Adishian
Bass, Bass [Electric] - Ron Carter
Conductor - Johnny Pate
Drums - Pretty Purdie
Electric Guitar - Burt Jones
Flute, Saxophone - Hubert Laws
Mixed By - Bob Simpson , Geoff Haslam
Mixed By, Engineer [Remix] - Ray Hall
Photography - Charles Stewart , Wayne Tucker
Piano, Electric Piano - Brian Jackson
Producer [Assistant] - Lillian Seyfert
Written-By - Brian Jackson (tracks: A5 to B5) , Gil Scott-Heron

Notes:
Recorded: April 19 & 20, 1971
All compositions published by Bob Thiele Music Ltd.- ASCAP

Review:
After decades of influencing everyone from jazz musicians to hip-hop stars, Pieces of a Man set a standard for vocal artistry and political awareness that few musicians will ever match. Scott-Heron’s unique proto-rap style influenced a generation of hip-hop artists, and nowhere is his style more powerful than on the classic “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Even though the media — the very entity attacked in this song — has used, reused, and recontextualized the song and its title so many times, its message is so strong that it has become almost impossible to co-opt. Musically, the track created a formula that modern hip-hop would follow for years to come: bare-bones arrangements featuring pounding basslines and stripped-down drumbeats. Although the song features plenty of outdated references to everything from Spiro Agnew and Jim Webb to The Beverly Hillbillies, the force of Scott-Heron’s well-directed anger makes the song timeless. More than just a spoken word poet, Scott-Heron was also a uniquely gifted vocalist. On tracks like the reflective “I Think I’ll Call It Morning” and the title track, Scott-Heron’s voice is complemented perfectly by the soulful keyboards of Brian Jackson. On “Lady Day and John Coltrane,” he not only celebrates jazz legends of the past in his words but in his vocal performance, one that is filled with enough soul and innovation to make Coltrane and Billie Holiday nod their heads in approval. More than three decades after its release, Pieces of a Man is just as — if not more — powerful and influential today as it was the day it was released.
By Jon Azpiri
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

By Celo

Friday 21 May 2010

Gonzalez "Our Only Weapon Is Our Music"

Gonzalez

"Our Only Weapon Is Our Music"
( LP EMI Records, 1975 )
Catalog # EMC 3100


Tracklisting:
A1 Got My Eye On You
A2 Da Me La Cosa Caramba
A3 The Love You've Given Me
A4 Ain't It Funny
A5 Rissoled
B1 Nothing Ever Comes That Easy
B2 Ahwai Five-O
B3 D.N.S.
B4 Love Me, Love Me Not
B5 Our Only Weapon Is Our Music

Personnel & Credits:
Robert Ahwry - Guitar
Bud Beadle - Saxophone
Ron Carthy - Trumpet
Roy Davies - Keyboards
Lance Dixon - Synthesizer
Mick Eve - Saxophone
Ken Freeman - Synthesizer
Steve Gregory - Saxophone
Malcolm Griffiths - Trombone
Preston Heyman - Drums
Gordon Hunte - Guitar
Glen LeFleur - Drums
Godfrey McLean - Percussion
Chris Mercer - Saxophone
Allan Sharpe - Percussion
Larry Steele - Bass
Bobby Stignac - Drums
Viola Wills - Vocals
Lenny Zakatek - Guitar

Review:
Second album by the group, a set of funky tracks with a very clubby groove, between boogie and jazz funk, with lots of tightness, with two great instrumental "Ahwai Five-O" & "Rissoled".

By Celo

Roland Kirk With Jack McDuff "Kirk's Work" Re-Uploaded

Roland Kirk With Jack McDuff

"Kirk's Work"
( LP Prestige Records, 1966 )
Catalog # 7450


Tracklisting:
A1 - Three For Dizzy 5:05
A2 - Makin Whoopee 5:05
A3 - Funk Underneath 6:11
B1 - Kirk's Work 3:50
B2 - Doin' The Sixty-Eight 4:15
B3 - Too Late Now 3:50
B4 - Skaters Waltz 4:20

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Joe Benjamin
Drums - Art Taylor
Mastered By [Remastered] - Phil De Lancie
Organ - Jack McDuff
Other [Liner Notes] - Jack McKinney
Other [Supervision] - Esmond Edwards
Recorded By - Rudy Van Gelder
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute, Saxophone [Strich], Saxophone [Manzello] - Roland Kirk

Review:
This is one of Roland Kirk's earlier recordings, and in my opinion, the first true masterpiece in his catalog. The format is a quartet with soul-jazz organ player Jack McDuff. Brother Jack's presence here tells you exactly what kind of sound the album has-- bop-tinged soul-jazz with little of the experimentalism that Kirk would later use. However, few are more soulful than Kirk, and even if the album isn't a conceptual advance, it is a masterpiece of straight-ahead soul jazz. Kirk has been both praised and criticized for playing multiple horns at once, but the most important thing to know about him is that when he used this trick, it didn't even sound that odd. It just sounded like there were more horn players than there really were. His tone when playing multiple horns wasn't as clean, but he didn't actually do it very often. When he soloed, he concentrated on one horn, and when playing soul jazz, he was every bit as soulful as Cannonball Adderley, or any of your other favorites. The man could even make a FLUTE swing, as he does here on Funk Underneath, which foreshadows his flute-based album, I Talk With The Spirits. However, while his playing on this album was rooted in the emerging soul jazz sounds of the time, his phrasing reached back throughout the history of jazz, and one can hear echos of earlier eras. Nobody was more aware of the history of jazz than Kirk, so it isn't surprising that just a few years after this album was recorded, he would push the genre as far as anyone else. This one ranks up with Rip, Rig and Panic, Return of the 5000 Lb. Man, Bright Moments etc. as one of Kirk's masterpieces.
From Amazon.com (Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved)

Original post: 26-Aug-09.

By Celo

Thursday 20 May 2010

Mandingo Featuring Foday Musa Suso "Watto Sitta"

Mandingo Featuring Foday Musa Suso

"Watto Sitta"
( LP Celluloid Records, 1984, France )
Catalog # CELL 6103


Tracklisting:
A1 - Harima
Synthesizer [Yamaha Dx7] - Herbie Hancock
A2 - Muso
A3 - Natural Dancer
B1 - Kansala
B2 - Dewgal
Synthesizer [Yamaha Dx7] - Herbie Hancock
B3 - Don't Worry
Djembe [Jimbeh] - Manu Washington

Personnel & Credits:
Artwork By [Album Design, Illustration] - Lester Dore
Backing Vocals - Isatou Walker , Nora Harris , Robin Robinson
Bass - Joe Thomas
Congas, Bongos [Morrocan], Bells [Frafra], Shekere, Percussion [Gnouan Clappers, Turtle Shell] - Adam Rudolph
Drum Programming [Dmx] - Bill Laswell , Foday Musa Suso
Drums - Hamid Drake
Engineer [Assistant, Evergreen] - Hahn Rowe
Engineer [Assistant, Studiomedia] - Sam Fishkin
Engineer [Recording] - Rob Stevens
Guitar - Abdul Hakeen
Kora, Kora [Dousongonni], Kalimba, Talking Drum, Lead Vocals, Arranged By, Written-by - Foday Musa Suso
Mastered By - Howie Weinberg
Mixed By - Dave Jerden
Other [Administration] - Roger Trilling
Percussion [Chatan], Talking Drum - Aiyb Dieng
Performer [Dundungo] - Reymond Sillah
Photography [Back] - D. Shigley
Producer - Bill Laswell , Foday Musa Suso

Notes:
Produced for Material OAO
Recorded at Evergreen Studio, New York City, and Studiomedia, Evanston, Illinois
Mixed at El Dorado, Los Angeles, California
Mastered at Mastedisk, New York City.
(C) 1984 Mandingo Music
(P) & (C) 1984 Celluloid Records
Distributed by Mélodie Distribution , Made in France

Review:
Mandingo was Foday Musa Suso's band for this Afropop/dance/fusion album from 1985. Suso is a Mandingo griot, a hereditary musician from Gambia and master of the kora, a sort of African guitar that sounds a lot like a cross between a harp and a banjo. Here he plays the kora and several other instruments and sings, backed by African and non-African players of African and non-African instruments, including Herbie Hancock on keyboard for "Harima" and "Dewgal."
The music is lively and fun, even with what sounds like a drum machine banging away with the more traditional percussion. I'm generally not a big fan of this kind of hybrid, as the non-traditional part often clashes with the rest, but it works pretty well here. It's instantly accessible and infectious.
From: Amazon.com (Copyright © 2010, All rights reserved)

By Celo

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Three From Catalyst!

Catalyst

"Catalyst"
( LP Cobblestone Records, 1972 )
Catalog # CST 9018


Tracklisting:
A1 - Ain't It The Truth 2:42
A2 - East 8:03
A3 - Catalyst Is Coming 8:13
B1 - Jabali 8:44
B2 - New-Found Truths 5:44
B3 - Salaam 1:34

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Zuri Tyrone Brown
Drums, Percussion - Onaje Sherman Ferguson
Electric Piano - Sanifu Eddie Green
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute - Mwalimu Odean Pope

Review:
One of the hippest funky jazz combos of the 70s stepping out here in their amazing debut for Cobblestone records! Catalyst had a groove that was unlike most of their contemporaries a sound that was often jazzier than some of the tighter funk artists on labels like Kudu or Prestige, with some deeply spiritual leanings in the solos but also a style that was still pretty tight and focused, not as far out as some of the headier groups on the Strata East label. There's loads of great choppy rhythms and tight-edged grooves on the record, thanks to Fender Rhodes from Eddie Green, reeds from Odeon Pop, bass from Al Johnson, and drums and percussion from Sherman Ferguson. Skip Drinkwater produced the session at Sigma Sound, and it's definitely got some of his hallmark appreciation of rhythm in the mix on titles that include "Ain't It The Truth", "New Found Truths", "East", "Catalyst Is Coming", "Jabali", and "Salaam".
© Dusty Groove America, Inc.


Catalyst

"Unity"
( LP Muse Records, 1974 )
Catalog # MR 5042


Tracklisting:
A1 - A Country Song 6:20
A2 - Little Miss Lady 4:53
A3 - Maze 5:17
B1 - Athene 5:27
B2 - Mail Order 6:12
B3 - Shorter Street 3:53

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Zuri Tyrone Brown
Drums, Percussion - Onaje Sherman Ferguson
Electric Piano - Sanifu Eddie Green
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute - Mwalimu Odean Pope

Review:
Catalyst was a funk/jazz quartet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose material presaged the work of later jazz fusion artists.[1] The group encountered regional success in the 1970s and have become more widely known since the re-release of their material.
The group was discovered by producer Skip Drinkwater, who signed them to Muse Records after hearing them play at a club in West Philadelphia. Drinkwater produced their debut self-titled LP, released in 1972 with the following personnel: Eddie Green (keyboards, vocals), Sherman Ferguson (percussion), Odean Pope (saxophone, flute, oboe), Al Johnson (bass). The group received little label support for major tours and so spent most of their playing time in the Philadelphia and New York areas.[1] The group recorded and released a second album in 1972 on Cobblestone Records, entitled Perception; by this time, bassist Johnson had left the group to join Weather Report, and was replaced by Tyrone Brown.
Garnering comparisons to John Coltrane, Weather Report, and Return to Forever, a cult following had grown up around the band by this time, who returned in 1974 with Unity, again on Muse. The album featured Billy Hart in addition to its core members. 1975's After a Tear and a Smile would be the group's final release; poor album sales and disenchantment with the industry led the group to disband in 1976.
Following their time with Catalyst, Green played with Pat Martino and MFSB, and both Pope and Brown began playing gigs with Max Roach; Pope also played with the Saxophone Choir. Ferguson later played with Pharaoh Sanders, Bud Shank, and Kenny Burrell.
In the 1990s, the Muse catalog was acquired by Joel Dorn's 32 Jazz label, which released some of Catalyst's work on a 1998 compilation album. Fan interest led to their entire four-album discography being released as a 2-reissue set, entitled The Funkiest Band You Never Heard.
"Ain't it the Truth" and "Ile Ife" were covered by Uri Caine (keyboards), A.Thompson (Drums, from The Roots), and Christian McBride (bass), on their album "The Philadelphia Experiment".
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Catalyst

"A Tear To A Smile"
( LP Muse Records, 1976 )
Catalog #MR 5069


Tracklisting:
A1 - The Demon Pt. 1 4:10
A2 - The Demon Pt. 2 3:10
A3 - A Tear And A Smile 4:34
A4 - Fifty Second Street Boogie Down 3:56
B1 - Suite For Albeniz 6:15
B2 - A Prayer Dance 5:54
B3 - Bahia 6:15

Review:
Sublime and crucial slice of 70s jazz funk.
Perhaps the best LP by this group, which I do not say lightly.
Features the killer cuts 'The Demon' and '52 st. Boogie Down.'

By Celo

Hank Jones, Ray Brown & Jimmie Smith ''Hank Jones, Ray Brown & Jimmie Smith Rockin' In Rhythm''

Hank Jones, Ray Brown & Jimmie Smith

''Hank Jones, Ray Brown & Jimmie Smith Rockin' In Rhythm''
( LP Concord Jazz Records, 1977 )
Catalog # CJ-32


Tracklisting:
1. Your Feet's Too Big
2. Dancing on the Ceiling
3. My Ship
4. Spring Is Here
5. Rockin' in Rhythm
6. Bags' Groove
7. Alone Together
8. The Girl Next Door

Personnel:
Hank Jones (piano, electric piano)
Ray Brown (bass)
Jimmie Smith (drums)

Credits:
Producer: Carl E. Jefferson
Distributor:Universal Distribution

Notes:
Reissue: Jul 26, 2004 on Concord Jazz Records

Andy's note:
I thought I'd post an album featuring Hank Jones, as a tribute to a jazz great who died this week age 91.I purchased this album a long time ago by mistake as I thought it featured Jimmy Smith the organist not Jimmie Smith the drummer (I'm sure others have done the same),however I was very happy with the purchase! Thanks Hank,your fantastic music lives on.
You can check out the official Hank Jones site here.

By Andy

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Oliver Nelson "Skull Sessions"

Oliver Nelson

"Skull Sessions"
( LP Flying Dutchman Records , 1975 )
Catalog # BDL 1-0825


Tracklisting:
A1 - Skull Session
A2 - Reuben's Rondo
A3 - 125th St. And 7th Ave.
A4 - One For Duke
B1 - Dumpy Mama
B2 - Baja Bossa
B3 - In A Japanese Garden
B4 - Flight For Freedom

Personnel & Credits:
Tracks 1, 5 & 8
Lonnie Liston Smith – Electric & Acoustic Pianos
Mike Wofford – Arp & Piano
Chuck Domanico – Bass
Dennis Budmir, Lee Ritenour – Electric & Acoustic Guitars
Billy Green, Billy Perkins – Tenor
Jerome Richardson – Alto Sax & Flute
Bobby Bryant, Oscar Brashear – Trumpets
Shelly Manne, Willie Bodo – Percussion
Jimmy Gordon – Drums

Tracks 2, 3 & 4
As previously, but Billy Perkins changes to Baritone.
Buddy Collette and Bud Shank added on Tenor
Paul Hubinon, Buddy Childers added on Trumpet
Grover Mitchell, Richard Nash, Chauncey Walsh, Maurice Spears- Trombones
Vinnie DeRosa, Davis Allan Duke – French Horns
Don Waldrop – Tuba

Tracks 6 & 7
Mike Wofford – Electric Piano & Harpsichord
Chuck Domanico – Bass
Laurindo Almeida – Guitar
Jerome Richardson – Alto
John Kelson – Baritone & Bass Clarinet
Buddy Collette – Clarinet, Tenor & Alto Flutes
Bud Shank – Alto, Clarinet, Alto Flute
Bobby Bryant - Trumpet & Flugel
Willie Bobo – Percussion
Shelly Manne – Drums

Notes:
All tracks arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson.

Review:
Anyone, who has been fortunate enough to play in a band that uses Oliver Nelson arrangements, will vouch for how clever and musical they are. On this session he was asked to include electronic instruments and incorporate the rhythms they are often associated with them. This has been attempted before and usually results in the most horrible ‘hodgepodge’ of sounds that please no one. Oliver Nelson however succeeds in incorporating the newer instruments without detracting in any way from the normal quality of his work. This is a very good album; every track is an original composition with a strong melody line and an imaginative arrangement.
The original 1975 sleeve note by Nat Hentoff is, as one would have expected from such a highly revered writer on jazz, interesting and informative. Personally, I feel the music which is now 27 years old, deserves another written piece putting it in context with today’s scene and other Oliver Nelson albums, but keeping the original as well is a must.
Skull Session, the title track starts out like an instrumental rock number, but it isn’t long before the jazz influence is felt. The standard of jazz solos is what you would expect from California’s top session men. Nat Hentoff and Oliver Nelson comment in the sleeve notes on the Trumpet playing of Oscar Brashear, I am surprised that we have not heard a lot more of him. I assume the Billy Perkins referred to, is the Bill Perkins Kenton band fans know and love.
Ruebens Rondo has a very strong theme and the arrangement has a distinct West Coast Big Band flavour that is very much to my liking. Jerome Richardson provides a very accomplished Alto solo and the whole band sounds very polished in this one. Track 3 is dedicated to the NY equivalent of Speaker’s corner in London. Bill Perkins on Baritone has the lead in the Sax soli.
Track 4, One for the Duke, has the Ducal sound but includes a good electric piano solo from Lonnie Liston Smith. I can’t imagine the Duke on electric piano, but that begs the point of the album. Dumpy Mama and Baja Bossa continue the Big Band feel, but in the last two tracks the guitar of Laurindo Almeida is introduced, giving another dimension to the music, this time with a smaller band.
This is s very fine album, which lives up to Oliver Nelson’s tremendous reputation as an arranger and composer.
By Don Mather (Jazz CD) (Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved)

By Celo

Harry Stoneham ''I Feel Good, I Feel Funky''

Harry Stoneham

''I Feel Good, I Feel Funky''
( LP One-Up, EMI Records, 1976 )
Catalog # OU 2127, OU 2127


Tracklisting:
A1 I Feel Good
Written-By - Brown
A2 Coming Home Baby
Written-By - Tucker, Dorough
A3 Night Train
Written-By - Forrest
A4 Get Up Off Of Me
Written-By - Wesley, Brown
A5 Green Onions
Written-By - Jackson, Jones, Steinberg, Cropper
A6 Hold On, I'm A-Coming
Written-By - Hayes-Porter
B1 Watermelon Man
Written-By - Hancock
B2 Battle Hymn
B3 The Hustle
Written-By - McCoy
B4 Time Is Tight
Written-By - Booker T. Jones
B5 Parana
Written-By - Sattoruso
B6 Wade In The Water


Personnel & Credits:
Arranged By, Organ [Hammond B3], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] - Harry Stoneham
Bass - Brian Odgers , Herbie Flowers
Drums - Barry Morgan , Dougie Wright
Engineer [Recording] - Tony Clark
Guitar - Colin Green
Percussion [Latin] - Chris Karan, Tony Carr
Producer - Bob Barratt
Saxophone [Tenor, Baritone] - Rex Morris
Trombone - Chris Pyne
Trumpet - Albert Hall, Tony Fisher

Notes:
Format:Vinyl, LP
Country:UK
Released:1976
Recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios.

By Pier

Monday 17 May 2010

Ben Sidran "Don't Let Go"

Ben Sidran

"Don't Let Go"
( LP Blue Thumb Records, 1974 )
Catalog # BTS 6012


Tracklisting:
A1 - Fat Jam 3:23
A2 - House Of Blue Lites 3:08
A3 - Ben Sidran's Midnite Tango 2:40
A4 - Chicken Glide 3:43
A5 - She's Funny That Way 3:34
A6 - Monopoly 1:27
B1 - Don't Let Go 3:18
B2 - Hey Hey Baby 3:30
B3 - The Foolkiller 3:45
B4 - The Funky Elephant 3:27
B5 - Snatch 3:48
B6 - Down To The Bone 1:08

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Kip Mercklein , Randy Fullerton
Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Drums - Phil Upchurch
Drums - Tom Piazza
Guitar - Curley Cooke
Harmonica - Jerry Alexander
Organ - Jim Peterman
Percussion, Drums - Clyde Stubblefield , George Brown
Percussion, Piano, Vocals - Ben Sidran
Saxophone [Alto] - Bunky Green
Saxophone [Tenor] - Sonny Seals

Review:
Tight funky jazz from vocalist Ben Sidran still very much in his best early mode, and playing with a really raw sound overall! Ben's vocals are in that down-home Mose Allison mode, but the real charm is the music which features funky drums by Clyde Stubblefield, the man responsible for the legendary break on James Brown's "Funky Drummer" plus great playing by Chicago talents Sonny Seals on tenor, Bunky Green on alto, and Phil Upchurch on bass. Ben's piano is pretty great too especially on the funky tracks as it comes across with a hard left side sort of sound that really makes for a wonderful groove! Key titles include "Snatch", "The Funky Elephant", "The Foolkiller", "Fat Jam", and "Hey Hey Baby" which has a great funky break!
From Dusty Groove America, Inc. (Copyright © 2010, All rights reserved)

By Celo

Various Artists: Three Good Afro Compilations!

Various Artists

"Nu Afro-Beat Experience"
( LP Shanachie Records, 2002 )


Tracklisting:
1 Akoba (K-Klash Remix) - Awa Klash 8:25
2 Jekalewa - Tony Allen 4:58
3 Surulere - Duro Ikujenyo 4:19
4 Soro - Jagunlabi 4:27
5 Oriki - Duro and Jimmy Sholanko 5:08
6 Beleke - Fatai Rolling Dollars 4:38
7 Revenge of the Flying Monkeys - Ayetoro 5:26
8 Tamedun Don Come - Tamedun 3:03
9 Turbulent Times - Dele Sosimi 9:39
10 Another System - Imo 6:26
11 Olufela - Kayode Olajide 4:56
12 Black Face - Seyi Sholagbagde and The Black Face 7:10
13 Allelujah Amen - Olufumi 4:18

Review:
Shanachie presents the sounds of modern Afro-beat with Nu Afro-Beat Experience.
Most of these artists stick to the basic blueprint created by Fela Kuti, but with more modern production.
Others add varying degrees of other musical influences, like Tony Allen's incorporation of hip-hop or Jagunlabi's Afro-house sound.
By Sean Westergaard
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

Not available on the free blog edition


Various Artists

"African Scream Contest"
Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds From Benin & Togo
( 2 X LP Analog Africa , 2008 Germany )
Catalog # AALP 063


Tracklisting:
A1. Lokonon André & Les Volcans - Mi Kple Dogbekpo
A2. Picoby Band D'Abomey - Mi Ma Kpe Dji
A3. Gabo Brown & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo \x{2013} It's a Vanity
A4. El Rego et Ses Commandos - Se Na Min
B1. Napo De Mi Amor et Ses Black Devil's - Leki Santchi
B2. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Gbeti Madjro
B3. Roger Damawuzan - Wait For Me
B4. Ouinsou Corneille & Black Santiagos - Vinon So Minsou
B5. Orchestre Super Jheevs des Paillotes - Ye Nan Lon An
C1. Tidjani Kone & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Djanfa Magni
C2. Discafric Band - Houiou Djin Nan Zon Aklumon
C3. Le Super Borgou De Parakou - Congolaise Benin Ye
D1. Vincent Ahehehinnou - Ou C'est Lui Ou C'est Moi
D2. Les Volcans De la Capital - Oya Ka Jojo

Review:
After releases by Zimbabwean 70s bands the Green Arrows and Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, the Analog Africa label now delves into the amazing history of music from 1970s Benin and Togo. This compilation highlights forgotten raw and psychedelic Afro sounds, and the well-researched liner notes tell fascinating stories to accompany the mind-blowing music. The essence of Analog Africa is clear; searching in dusty warehouses for forgotten music to keep the sound alive. Label owner & vinyl collector Samy Ben Redjeb arrived in Cotonou, Benin, "without any special expectations, just hoping to lay my hands on few good records--what I found in the process cannot really be described in words".
Like most modern music in French-speaking West African countries, the music of Benin and Togo was influenced by a few main musical currents: Cuban, Congolese and local traditional music, as well as Chanson Francaise. Additionally, the geographical location of Benin and Togo--sandwiched between Ghana and Nigeria--exposed Beninese and Togolese musicians to Highlife music.
The cultural and spiritual riches of traditional Beninese music had an immense impact on the sound of Benin's modern music. Benin is the birth place of Vodun (or, as it is known in the West, Voodoo), and some of the rhythms used during traditional rituals - Sakpata, Sato, Agbadja, Tchenkoumé and many others - were fused to Soul and Latin music as early as the mid-1960s and later to Funk. In the late '60s and early '70s rock and soul music started creeping into the region. In particular, the music of James Brown and Johnny Halladay became immensely popular with university students. It was then that the music scene in Benin really started to take off. That fusion is the essence of this compilation.

Not available on the blog free edition


Various Artists

"African Spirits"
"A Spiritual Jazz Journey Looking Back To Africa"
( 2XLP Soul Brother Records , 2004 UK )
Catalog # LP SBPJ 22


Tracklisting:
A1 - Pharoah Sanders - Our Roots Began In Africa
A2 - Joe Chambers - The Almoravid
B1 - Sathima B. Benjamin - Africa
B2 - Archie Shepp - Song For Mozambique
B3 - Moe Koffman - Days Gone Bt (Egyptology)
C1 - Carlos Garnett - Banks Of The Nile
C2 - Adele Sebastian - Desert Fairy Princess
C3 - J Life - fro Blue
D1 - Nate Morgan - Mrafu
D2 - Nation/African Liberation Arts Ensemble - Children

Review:
This album consists of 10 tracks that represent a spiritual jazz journey looking back to Africa: the motherland, the roots of jazz, the birthplace of black music and the ancestral origins of the musicians themselves.
Individually the tracks - some of the best music of its type ever recorded - are in demand in their own right, with most being compiled for the first time. In the 1960's and 1970's many Afro Americans started to look back to their roots and the roots of the music for inspiration, direction and confirmation. Alex Haley, author of the best selling 1976 book 'Roots' (later adapted for an acclaimed television series) travelled by safari to the village of Juffure, in the Gambia to trace the history of his ancestors back to Africa. Musicians including Yusef Lateef, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and many of the artists on this compilation experimented with African instruments and sounds during this period. It was a time of black celebration, the 'Afro' hairstyle was a prerequisite for hipness. The drum - the most basic rhythm instrument and the foundation that almost all modern music rests on - came from Africa. Indeed, Jazz music itself can also trace its origins back to Africa; in fact scientists, historians and archaeologists have suggested that the entire human race took its first steps in Africa and evolved from there. The music contained on this album, whilst rhythmically strong is also imbued with haunting melodies and spiritually uplifting shades. A major factor behind the making of this music was a reaction against a society based on commercialism and insincerity: this is music with a message, music of substance, music that demands the listener be drawn in. It's music that you can really feel…music that moves and fulfils you, leaving you spiritually uplifted. This album is not just about selecting and bringing together a collection of in demand Jazz cuts…it's about inviting the listener on a musical journey back to Africa, back to ancient civilisation.
By Laurence Prangell, Soul Brother Records. (Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved)

Not available on the blog free edition

By Celo

Willis Jackson ''Really Groovin'''

Willis Jackson

''Really Groovin'''
( LP Prestige Records, 1961 )
Catalog # PRLP 7196


Tracklisting:
A1 Careless Love
Written-By - Williams, Handy
A2 Oatmeal
Written-By - Johnny Griffin
A3 I Remember Clifford
Written-By - Benny Golson
A4 A Twist Of Blues
Written-By - Willis Jackson
B1 Sweet Peter Charleston
Written-By - Johnny Griffin
B2 Again
Written-By - Lionel Newman
B3 He Said, She Said, I Said
Written-By - Willis Jackson
B4 Girl Of My Dreams
Written-By - T.R. Stiglets

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Peck Morrison , Wendell Marshall
Congas - Juan Amalbert
Drums - Gus Johnson , Mickey Roker
Other [Liner Notes] - Joe Goldberg
Piano - Jimmy Neeley , Richard Wyands
Producer [Supervision] - Esmond Edwards
Recorded By - Rudy Van Gelder
Saxophone [Tenor] - Willis Jackson

Notes:
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, January 10, 1961
Format:Vinyl, Album, LP, Mono
Country:US
Released:1961
Company address on cover and label:
203 S. Washington Ave., Bergenfield, NJ

Review:
A fine, soulful jazz date, mostly slow blues and ballads, from one of the kings of honky-tonk saxophone. Jackson's smooth, Ben Webster-ish tenor playing is seldom surprising, but always satisfying. Originally recorded in 1961 for Prestige, this album was reissued in Japan in the early '90s.
By Joel Roberts
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

See also on Popsike.

Courtesy of Heup1

Sunday 16 May 2010

Les McCann & Eddie Harris "Swiss Movement"

Les McCann & Eddie Harris

"Swiss Movement"
( LP Atlantic Records, 1969 )
Catalog # SD 1537


Tracklisting:
A1 - Compared To What 8:18
A2 - Cold Duck Time 6:31
A3 - Kathleen's Theme 5:45
B1 - You Got It In Your Soulness 7:08
B2 - The Generation Gap 8:45

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Leroy Vinnegar
Drums - Donald Dean
Piano - Les McCann
Producer - Joel Dorn , Nesuhi Ertegun
Saxophone [Tenor] - Eddie Harris
Trumpet - Benny Bailey

Notes:
Recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland in June 1969

Reviews:
This memorable impromptu session arose at the 1969 Montreux festival when tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris and trumpeter Benny Bailey joined Les McCann's working trio. McCann's regular rhythm section of Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Donald Dean on drums provides rock-solid support for some strongly felt and entertaining music. Harris's light-toned but expressive horn shines on his own "Cold Duck Soup" and McCann's "Kathleen's Theme," while the whole band rocks on "You Got It in Your Soulness." McCann's elemental voice and piano gives new life to the soul classic "Compared to What," while the underrated Bailey, more frequently heard in mainstream jazz settings, brings a brassy soulfulness of his own to the proceedings.
By Stuart Broomer (Amazon.com) (Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved)

When Les McCann interpolates the melody of "Age of Aquarius" in the introduction to "Compared to What," one sits back and says, "Ah yes, 1969." But he more than pulls it off, leading into a rambunctious and utterly infectious rendition of the classic piece, replete with exhortations of "Sock it to me!" This piece, written by Gene McDaniels, has to be one of the masterpieces of jazz-pop and the album could be recommended for its inclusion alone. Happily, the remainder of this live set, recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland (originally released on Atlantic), follows a similarly joyful and funky path, even if the group never quite scales the same heights. Saxophonist Eddie Harris' "Cold Duck Time" is as down-home as its title, and McCann's wincingly named "The Generation Gap" is as relaxed and cool as a lakeside breeze. Harris brings a needed tinge of free playing to the band, erupting into the occasional impassioned snarl while never neglecting the soulful roots. Trumpeter Benny Bailey also deserves special mention, his every contribution sharp and to the point. Altogether a fine recording, providing a shining example of what could be achieved in the soul-jazz genre without giving in to slickness in the slightest.
By Brian Olewnick
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)

By Celo

Saturday 15 May 2010

Les McCann "Invitation To Openness"

Les McCann

"Invitation To Openness"
( LP Atlantic Records, 1971 )
Catalog # SD 1603


Tracklisting:
A1 - The Lovers 26:11
B1 - Beaux J. Poo Boo 13:12
B2 - Poo Pye McGoochie (And His Friends) 12:34

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Jimmy Rowser
Bass [Electric] - Bill Salter
Drums [African], Percussion - William "Buck" Clarke
Drums, Percussion - Al Mouzon, Bernard Purdie, Donald Dean
Electric Guitar - Cornell Dupree
Electric Piano - Jodie Christian
Engineer [Recording] - Jimmy Douglass
Engineer [Remix] - Fred Catero
Guitar, Electric Guitar - David Spinozza
Harp - Corky Hale
Percussion - Ralph McDonald
Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer [Moog] - Les McCann
Producer - Joel Dorn
Saxophone [Tenor], Oboe, Flute, Flute [Pneumatic],
Bells [Plum Blossom & Temple Bells] - Yusef Lateef

Notes:
Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, N.Y.
Remixed at Fred Catero Studios, San Francisco, California.

Review:
The 26-minute opening cut, "The Lovers," captures the essence of Les McCann's 1971 classic Invitation to Openness, reissued here by Label M's Joel Dorn, the album's original producer. Heavily influenced by Miles Davis's groundbreaking In a Silent Way, Invitation builds layers of electric pianos and synthesizers over a bed of gently rocking rhythms, interspersed with Cornell Dupree's wah-wah guitar and Yusef Lateef's exotic flute and oboe. Recorded with the many instruments separated by reverb, it flows with a spacey funkiness that slowly builds into a churning, smoldering stew. "Beaux J. Poo Boo" and "Poo Pye McGoochie" are more conventionally funky, early 70's style, though the use of multiple percussion gives them a world-beat flavor. Invitation to Openess invites comparison in its more blustering moments to the electric work of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi period, although Les McCann's soulful electronic experiments tend to exude a funkier and more sensual atmosphere.
By Wally Shoup (Amazon.com) (Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved)

By Celo

Friday 14 May 2010

Johnny Lytle ''Be Proud''

Johnny Lytle

''Be Proud''
( LP Solid State Records, 1969 )
Catalog # SS-18044
New York City: 1969


Personnel & Tracklisting:
Johnny Lytle (vib, mar)
with unknown p, org, el-b, d, perc and chorus.

a. Be Proud (Of What You Are) (Johnny Lytle) - 2:30
b. You've Got To Love The World (Johnny Lytle) - 3:00
c. Rosen Forest (Johnny Lytle) - 2:43

same or similar, chorus out.

d. Daahoud (Johnny Lytle) - 2:39
e. Sit Tight (Johnny Lytle) - 3:00
f. Killiano (Johnny Lytle) - 2:41
g. September Of My Years (J. Van Heusen/S. Cahn) - 3:03
h. Above The Clouds (Johnny Lytle) - 2:48
i. Monday, Monday (John Phillips) - 2:35

Notes:
Issues: a-i on Solid State SS-18044.
Singles: a & b on Solid State SD 2523 [45].
Samplers: b also on Stateside (E) 8661572 [CD] titled TESTIFY II: 26 HUNKS OF FUNKY GROOVE. f also on Blue Note (E) CDP8543572 [CD] titled BLUE JUICE: SQUEEZE...TILL IT RUNS DOWN YOUR LEG.
Producer: Sonny Lester

Review:
A nice little sleeper of an album that has Johnny playing with a larger set of arrangements than you typically hear him in, and with a vocal group on a number of tracks. The set still has a good soul jazz groove, which you'd expect from Lytle at the very least, and spans a range of styles that stretches from funky to modal to Latin. Tracks include the spiritual title track, plus "Rosen Forrest", "Daahoud", "Killiano", and "Sit Tight". A tough one to find, too!
© 1996-2010, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

More info here.

By Pier

Ginger Baker's Air Force "Ginger Baker's Air Force"

Ginger Baker's Air Force

"Ginger Baker's Air Force"

( 2XLP Polydor Records, 1970 )
Catalog # 2662 001


Tracklisting:
A1 - Da Da Man
A2 - Early In The Morning
B1 - Don't Care
B2 - Toad
C1 - Aiko Biaye
C2 - Man Of Constant Sorrow
D1 - Do What You Like
D2 - Doin' It

Personnel & Credits:
Bass, Violin - Rick Grech
Drums - Ginger Baker , Remi Kabaka
Engineer - Andrew Johns
Engineer [Assistant] - George Chkiantz
Guitar, Vocals - Denny Laine
Percussion - Phil Seamen
Producer - Jimmy Miller
Saxophone [Alto] - Graham Bond
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute - Chris Wood, Harold McNair
Vocals - Jeanette Jacobs
Vocals, Organ - Steve Winwood

Notes:
Recorded live at The Royal Albert Hall, London.

Review:
Out of the wreckage of Cream came some very hip grooves! Ginger Baker was the hippest of the group's 3 members and although he's often credited by soul fans for his work with Fela, he should also get a hats off for his work with the group Air Force essentially a 10-piece (which seems to have been expanded beyond even that number for this set) that came up with some of the most monstrous art funk jamming we've heard! At its base, the group's in the jazz rock mode with players that include Brit jazz luminaries Phil Seamen, Harold McNair, and Graham Bond, plus rockers like Baker, Steve Winwood, Denny Laine, and Rick Grech. The tracks are all long groovers in a post-beat group mode and the best tracks have a jamming sound that's pretty over the top! It's full of the propulsive, Afro-influenced bass and percussion, some wild, jazz funk flute and sax, plus amazing work on violin, guitar and occasional, ephemeral vocals. Awesome stuff -- one of the best and most innovative live albums of the era!
From Dusty Groove America, Inc. (Copyright © 2010, All rights reserved

By Celo

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