The Janet Lawson Quintet - The Janet Lawson Quintet (1980)

My last post will be what is, in my opinion, a truly sublime album, as Janet Lawson may well be one of my favorite jazz singers. She's got a free scatting style that's reminiscent of 70s work by singers like Flora Purim, Jackie Cain, or Monika Linges: very breezy, in a mode that works perfectly with her loosely swinging combo —which has a definite fusion bent!
The record's really great all the way through – with piano modally grooving along with Janet's vocals – sax and flute twisting into the mix, inflecting the lyrics with just the right hint of jazzy riffing. Titles include the airy "Sunday Afternoon", "So High", "Nothing Like You", "You Promised", and a great reading of Chick Corea's "Shazam".
Don't miss this one guys!

Enjoy it!
Greg

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Eddie Gale - Black Rhythm Happening (1969)

Quoted from AMG: Trumpeter Eddie Gale's second Blue Note outing as a leader is one of the most adventurous recordings to come out of the 1960s. 'Black Rhythm Happening' picks up where 'Ghetto Music'left off, in that it takes the soul and free jazz elements of his debut and adds to them the sound of the church in all its guises -- from joyous call and response celebration on the title track (and album opener), to the mournful funeral sounds of "Song of Will," — all thanks to the Eddie Gale Singers. Elsewhere, wild smatterings of hard and post-bop ("Ghetto Love Night") and angular modal music ("Ghetto Summertime"), turn the jazz paradigm of the era inside out, simultaneously admitting everything in a coherent, wonderfully ambitious whole. The album closes with "Look at Teyonda," a sprawling exercise in the deep melding of African and Latin folk musics with the folk-blues, flamenco, and jazz rhythms. 'Black Rhythm Happening' is a timeless, breathtaking recording, one that sounds as forward-thinking and militant in the 21st century as it did in 1969.

Enjoy it!
Greg

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Gary Bartz NTU Troop - Uhuru (1971)

An essential record from Gary Bartz – one of two albums he cut with Andy Bey, and the killer group he was calling his NTU Troop! Andy's vocals are incredible – light years ahead of anything he did with his sisters, and similar to those he laid down on his own solo album for Atlantic, and on Blue Note sides with Horace Silver – a righteous mix of jazz and soul, with a burning intensity that makes the political themes of the tracks come out strongly. The album includes one of Andy's all time classics – the original 7 minute version of "Celestial Blues", plus the fantastically grooving "Uhuru Sasa" – as well as the cuts "The Planets", and "Blue (A Folk Tale)". And Gary Bartz is of course pretty great too – dropping in these angular reed lines that really give the record an edge, and which sound totally great next to Bey's vocals!

Enjoy it!
And Merry Christmas to you all!
Greg

Brother Jack McDuff and David Newman - Double Barrelled Soul (1968)

One of the more open-ended sessions that Brother Jack cut for Atlantic – with less of the tight larger soul arrangements that the label usually saddled him with, and that makes for a great, groovy LP! David Newman plays a variety of saxes, and the group also includes a young Melvin Sparks on guitar. Tracks are longish, and the album includes the magnificent originals "Duffin 'Round", "Esperanto", and "More Head" – as well as stunning versions of "Sunny" and "But It's Alright"!

Enjoy it!
Greg

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Mandrake Som - O...,Amigo (1977)

One of Brazil's finest percussionist, Mandrake Som, released this rare Italian-only album in 1977. It is a perfect follow-up to his previous bossa-jazz killer 'Sombossa', bringing even further the fusion between brazilian percussion-heavy music and jazz.
All in all it is a real groovy gem that deserves to be better known, and it includes great covers of 'Mulher Rendeira' or the timeless 'Dindi', plus original compositions such as the title track, 'Estrada do Sol' or 'Disparada'.

Enjoy it!
Greg

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Vince Andrews - Love Oh Love (1982)

Although 1980s jazz is usually not my cup of tea, this firing session by Vince Andrews is a noteworthy exception. Singer Jeannette Williams truly shines on the numbers she's featured in, and the polished sound doesn't go in the way of the progressive approach, with a lot of groovy playing going on, and a snapping jazzy organ to back things up.
The leader and writer of most of the tunes is saxophonist Vince Andrews, who plays with ease and is heard in fine form on 'The One Who Needs You' or 'Vibrating with Vince'.

Enjoy it!
Greg

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Stone Alliance - Stone Alliance (1976)

The first album by Stone Alliance, in their most famous line-up, the one that featured the great saxophonist Steve Grossman alongside historic members Don Alias and Gene Perla; and it's a treasure of quite adventurous yet surprisingly accessible music.

The unusual trio setting makes for an innovative use of the instruments, and bold compositions by the group, mixing hard funky jazz, latin and afro elements, with a minimal sense of the groove that transcends musical barriers.

The record also includes a killer version of a Stevie Wonder-penned favorite, 'Creepin', that is well worth a listen.

Enjoy it!

Greg

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Melvyn Price - Rhythm and Blues (1974)

A lost bit of 70s soul jazz and global funk percussion from conguero & trombonist Melvyn Price – an incredible set of heavily rhythmic grooves recorded in Stockholm in 1974 – originally a private press effort, rediscovered a few years back by Wax Poetics Records!

Melvyn grew up outside of Detroit, and he cut his teeth with the freeform Afrikan Folk Ensemble before relocating to Sweden in the 60s, where he thrived in the country's healthy and creative jazz scene. He's joined by a great group of international players who bring diverse flavors to the overall sound, with Latin and African styles of percussion from Price, Jon Dill and Luis Agudo, drums by Gunnar Nyberg and Fredrik Noren, piano by Bjorn Wolff, fluidly jazzy tenor sax from Ed Epstein, and bass by Guy Roellinger, whose work here often sounds like the stuff of funky 70s soundtracks. The rhythms are absolutely impeccable – with the conga and percussion as the driving force of the sound! Titles include "Voodoo Love Dance", "Toward Brazil", "Behind Kungstradgarden", "Happiness Is. . .", "Five O'Clock Traffic" and "Last Train".

Enjoy it!

Greg

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Sheila Landis and Her Bandits of Bebop -Guess I'll Call It Love (1981)

A great session of groovy jazz vocals, with a light breezy finish by Sheila Landis and her band! The set was recorded in Michigan – but it's got a flowing groove that feels like the best of the San Francisco scene at the time, lightly dancing vocals with a hip edge, in the mode that Mark Murphy was using a lot at the time. The group is tight in a small combo mode – with a mixture of acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, plus just the right amount of guitar and saxes to give the tunes a bit of flourish.

The album's filled with great original tunes – including "Love Robs Your Reason", "Where You Gonna Put Your Blues?", "There's Never Enough There For Me", "Lonely Wine", and "Guess I'll Call It Love" – plus the wonderful groover "Parenthe-Seizure", which you'll recognize from its appearance on a few compilations here and there.

Enjoy it!

Greg

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Eero Koivistoinen Music Society - Wahoo! (1972)

Funky funky Finland! Don't be put off by the long name, or the overuse of vowels in the title – because this album's a killer batch of funky jazz, filled with loads of choppy sax riffs, sweet Fender Rhodes licks, and plenty of heavy drums. The record's got a hard fusion groove – and all the tracks are long instrumentals served up with plenty of power, and plenty of ferocity!

The set was recorded in Finland in 1972, but it feels more like some killer studio jam from the west coast – played by by a very tight bunch of funky jazz musicians who weren't afraid to go over the top. Titles include "Hot C", "7 Up", "6 Down", "Suite 19", and "Wahoo!".

Enjoy it!

Greg

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Moacir Santos - Saudade (1974)

Some sunny sounds for these dreary winter days with this killer album of brazilian jazz-funk! This is one of the rare Blue Note gems from Brazilian arranger/composer Moacir Santos – an album of incredible warmth and charm, with a sound that's hardly been duplicated again!

Santos is usually best known for his early bossa arrangements in the 60s, but here he's working in the US – hitting a sweet LA groove that mixes his earlier Brazilian styles with breezy touches from 70s jazz – done in a great mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation that sparkles tremendously throughout! The rhythms alone are worth the price of admission – complicated, compelling, but always grooving straight ahead – far different than both the usual sound of Brazilian jazz and Blue Note at the time, and a unique hybrid that's certainly one of Santos' finest moments on record. A few tracks feature vocals as well, done in a nicely reserved mode that fits in perfectly with the instrumentation of the tunes – and titles include a wonderful version of the song "Kathy", recorded previously as an instrumental by Horace Silver – plus "Off & On", "Amphibious", "Early Morning Love", "Suk Cha", "The City Of LA", and "Haply-Happy".

Enjoy it!

Greg

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