This is the debut LP by organist Sonny Phillips which was originally released in 1969 on Prestige Records, this rip is from the re-issue on BGP, players are Sonny Phillips on organ, Virgil Jones on trumpet, Houston Person on tenor sax, Joe Jones on guitar, Bob Bushnell on bass and Pretty Purdie on drums. Production by Bob Porter, recording by Rudy Van Gelder.
This live LP mostly features Hampton Haweson electric piano, performing at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival in a trio with electric bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Kenny Clarke. Hawes interprets three of his originals, Sonny Rollins' catchy "Playin' In the Yard," and "Stella By Starlight." Although well-played, little memorable occurs, and Hawes never did sound as distinctive on keyboards as he did on acoustic piano.
The late ’60s were an explosive time in America. Flower power was blooming, civil rights were in full swing, and while American soldiers were fighting in Vietnam, American musicians were creating several brands of rebellious music back home. One such musician, a trombonist/conga player from Pontiac, Michigan, had grown weary of his nation’s volatile political climate. While evading the draft, Price traveled a well-worn path overseas where he toured Europe with a set of congas on his back. Eventually, he befriended a young Swedish girl with whom he would return to the States. Their stay, however, would be brief. With the birth of Melvyn’s first child on the horizon and social tensions mounting, the two longed to return to a country more befitting for a young family.
Although the electric Herbie Hancock Sextet (and septet) left only a slim three-album discography on Warner Bros. and Columbia, you can expand it considerably by adding the two LPs that Eddie Henderson made as a leader on Capricorn -- a Georgia rock label known mostly for recording the Allman Brothers. 1. Scorpio - Libra
2. Mars in Libra
3. Anua
4. Spiritual Awakening
5. Revelation - Realization
Mahal from '78 include the fantastic up-tempo version of Herbie Hancock's Butterfly featuring the man himself on keyboards, along with most of the Headhunters. This album also includes another jazz-funk favorite, Prance On and Amoroso, a beautiful mid-temp track which illustrates Eddie's trumpet playing. Another track from this album Cyclops became a club hit at the time with some DJ's playing it at 45 RPM instead of 33!!
Prime material from Cannonball and David Axelrod -- and despite the biblical leanings of the title, the record is pretty darn funky! As they did for the Zodiac, Cannonball and Adderley take a trip through a host of cultural milestones -- stopping along the way to turn each one into a new pillar of soul, working with Rick Holmes, who narrates the set in the same way he did on the Zodiac albums. Brother Nat Adderley and George Duke are among the players in the album's very funky backing -- and tracks include "Make Your Own Temple", "Amani", "Space Spiritual", "Eternal Walk", and "Gone". Oh for the days of the double LP concept jazz record!
Incredible stuff from the jazz underground of Newark! This is one of the rarest albums ever recorded by jazz organist Larry Young -- cut for the tiny Perception label during the early 70s, and featuring some of the cream of the New Jersey jazz underground. The album's got playing that bridges a number of Young's different styles -- from his straighter soul jazz work at Blue Note, to his harder jamming with Santana and John McLaughlin, to his more fusion oriented albums for Arista. James Blood Ulmer's on guitar, but there's also a large ensemble of excellent players, and lots of other percussion and cool instrumentation that really gives the album an "out there" sound! Titles include "Sunshine Fly Away", "Saudia", "Hello Your Quietness", and "Khalid Of Space".| Pharoah Sanders | Sax (Tenor) |
| Abdul Sahid | Drums |
| Armen Halburian | Bells, Percussion, Conga |
| Stacey Edwards | Conga, Percussion |
| Dennis Mourouse | Electric Saxophone, Sax (Tenor), Saxophone |
| Alain Beard | Liner Notes |
| Reginald Wickham | Photography |
| Sarah Southin | Design, Reissue Design |
| Umar Abdul Muizz | Conga, Percussion |
| Howard King | Drums |
| John Reed | Coordination, Reissue Coordination |
| James Blood Ulmer | Guitar |
| Fred Stark | Design |
| Joony Booth | Bass |
| Cedric Lawson | Piano (Electric) |
| Charles Magee | Electric Trumpet, Trumpet |
| Eddie Korvin | Engineer, Remixing |
| Diedre Johnson | Cello |
| James Flores | Drums |
| Poppy LaBoy | Percussion |
| Abdul Hakim | Bongos, Percussion |
| Jumma Santos | Conga, Cowbell, Tom-Tom, Whistle (Human), Tambourine, Percussion, Hi Hat |
| Don Pate | Bass |
| Larry Young | Bongos, Keyboards, Organ, Remixing, Producer, Percussion, Main Performer, Vocals |
| Art Gore | Drums, Piano (Electric) |
| Juini Booth | Bass |
Japanese guitar player Kenji Omura released this sought-after classic in 1978 on Alfa Records, it was produced by Harvey Mason and features Jeff Porcaro, Harvey Mason, Lee Ritenour, Bill Meyers, Greg Mathieson, David Paich, Abraham Laboriel, Mike Porcaro, Steve Lukather, Jerry Hey, Larry Williams and Kim Hutchcroft.
Jazz fusion guitar fans will recognize Connors as that blazingly explosive and technically precise legato guitarist in Return to Forever who left after one release to pursue a quieter acoustic guitar path. Connors has always been ranked in the upper echelons of fine fusion axe-men. Yet the guitar releases from Connors have come slowly, been severely under-appreciated, and after this release -- it seems no more solo works are ever forthcoming. Let's hope I am wrong.
After leaving Return to Forever, Connors released three excellent acoustic albums in the '70s, did some work with Stanley Clarke on Clarke's solo releases, and played with the Jan Garbarek Group. Connors then returned to releasing hard-hitting yet elegantly soulful electric fusion guitar albums in the '80s. They were shorter length, LP time-length format, offering sonic snippets of Connors' electric visions.
Comparisons can be made easily between this release's guitar stylings to that of Allan Holdsworth's technique. This is not surprising as Holdsworth has always sought that horn sound and flow of John Coltrane and Connors too idolizes Coltrane. Convergent evolution perhaps? Connors has more of a rocking and visceral edgy attack than Holdsworth. His legato phrasing is totally different as well as his guitar voicings. Connors will also lean funky, syncopated, and have more of a groove going on in his compositions. Connors demonstrates he is a guitarists' guitarist with evident passion for his instrument. In conversation with Connors' brother I was told that Bill was always practicing for hours upon hours. It shows clearly on this release.
Assembler marked the final electrified release of this triune fusion CD offering of the '80s.
1.Crunchy
2.Sea Coy
3.Get It to Go
4.Assembler
5.Add Eleven
6.Tell It to the Boss
7.It Be FM
Guitarist Bill Connors has forged a successful career by mixing light, pop-oriented fusion cuts with more ambitious works that showcase his considerable solo abilities and compositional skills. This was a trio date with Connors (who doubled as producer) playing in an introspective vein, showing his funk and rock side, and then playing with more imagination and style. The playing time was quite short (35 minutes-plus), but there was enough of Connor's guitar work presented to satisfy his fans and fusion/pop/light jazz followers.
This session accented the funk/R&B and rock elements of Connor's arsenal; the eight selections were dominated both by drummer Dave Weckl's prominent backbeats and Connor's riffs and dashing licks, as well as catchy hooks, progressions, and patterns from bassist Tom Kennedy. Such songs as "A Pedal," "Brody," and the title cut weren't melodically sophisticated, but had a bass-heavy structure and quick, animated solos. Althohugh the date is a bit old, its qualities prove a perfect fit on several new adult contemporary and lite-jazz outlets.
Damn funky Yusef Lateef! The record's one of Lateef's best on Atlantic -- as it combines the funky style the label was working him in, with some of the more complicated, tripped-out styles he was forging on earlier records. The standout cut is the long take on Kenny Barron's "Nubian Lady" which begins the record -- and Kenny also contributed the tighter grooving "Jungle Plum". Other tracks include "African Song", "Queen Of The Night", "Poor Fishermen", "Below Yellow Bell", and a strange version of "Hey Jude" that goes on for a long time, and really messes with the volume -- listed on the cover with the note "Do not adjust the playback level on your audio equipment -- readjust your mind!"
Along with Keep Your Soul Together and In Concert (w/Stanley Turrentine), this album was one of Freddie Hubbard's last good albums before he signed to Columbia and started putting out commercial schlock. For starters, just look at the band on this date: George Benson, Hubert Laws, Keith Jarrett, Ron Carter, and Billy Cobham plus the usual extended cast of CTI studio musicians. Few bassists can lay down the funk tastefully like Carter, and his intro on "Povo" will make you say "Good Gracious!" For groove addicts like myself, this and the title track are alone worth the price of the album. There aren't too many surprises on Sky Dive, and it lacks the fire of Hubbard's earlier masterpieces Straight Life and Red Clay, but it's a real treat to hear all these guys coming up with some creative, funky music before things descended into disco hell. By the way, this is also great driving music.
An atmospheric jazz album, it includes Jack DeJohnette (d), Gary Peacock (b), and Jan Garbarek (ts).
There's no denying drummer Gene Dunlap's résumé -- stints in support of Grant Green and Roy Ayers are the funk equivalent of earning Ph.D.s from Harvard and Yale -- so it's little surprise that his debut LP, It's Just the Way I Feel, is such an effective and engaging listen. Dunlap's operating well outside the jazz sphere, however, and despite some obvious fusion-inspired moments, this is first and foremost a straight-up soul album, with a strong balance between slick, dancefloor-ready groovers and heartfelt ballads. Most impressive is the handful of tracks featuring the Ridgeways, an all-girl vocal trio whose sexy harmonies mesh perfectly with Dunlap's crisp, supple rhythms. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
