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Album Review: Various Artists — The Birth of Soul Jazz

Monday, May 20th, 2013

Early on into my jazz odyssey* of discovery, I found that although I very much enjoyed bop, swing, free and fusion, the style of jazz that resonated most for me was soul jazz. In my unschooled manner, I tried to articulate what exactly it was about soul jazz that made it work for me in a way that, say, Dixieland (trad jazz) often does not.

Reading a bit about how the various forms developed, I came to an initial conclusion that – while it made some sense to me – was wide of the mark. I characterized soul jazz as what happened when serious jazz players (often in the hard bop or West coast styles) decided they’d had enough of scrounging for gigs, and decided to go pop. They’d scale back the exploratory, improvisatory nature of their pieces in favor of tunes that were, to put it plainly, more accessible.

I’ve learned more since forming that early opinion. While there’s an element of truth to that description, in general the development of soul jazz wasn’t so cynical a phenomenon. In fact, as Charles Waring‘s delightfully concise and detailed liner notes for the new 2cd set The Birth of Soul Jazz explains, in fact the genre is based more on gospel forms. Specifically, the call-and-response nature of African-American “spirituals” and gospel, not the major-chord variety that influenced country and western music. The result of this hybrid adds back in some of the “heart” that some listeners find wanting in the more cerebral styles of jazz. Soul jazz, you can feel.

The heyday of soul jazz was relatively brief, but its influence was long lasting. As Waring explains, “the soul jazz movement lasted just over a decade, beginning in the late 50s and fading away at the dawn of the 70s.” I’d take some issue with the latter part of that thesis: as I’ve mentioned before, a viewing of most any of the (for their time) gritty television crime dramas of the 1970s will yield many examples of soul jazz. When Mannix goes into the smoky, seedy club to apply fisticuffs and extract information, the band isn’t playing rock’n'roll; they’re playing a catchy instrumental jazz. Soul jazz.

In any event, as its title suggests, The Birth of Soul Jazz focuses in on the early days of the phenomenon. Bringing together 23 tracks representing the best of the genre from roughly 1958-1962, this set works both as historical overview and incredibly tasty soundtrack for whatever you’re up to.

Perhaps owing to me more reissue-friendly laws existing in the UK, this set collects all of the giants of soul jazz; it’s difficult to imagine an American label being able to get all of the licensing necessary to compile the hits of the era, appearing as they did on major jazz labels like Blue Note, Prestige and Pacific Jazz.

All the big names are indeed here, and represented by some of their best-loved pieces. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers‘ seminal 1968 reading of Bobby Timmons‘ “Moanin’” kicks things off, and the quality rarely falters over the next 157 minutes (yes, these are the full versions of these songs, sometimes ten-plus minutes; no cheesy edits here). Blakey’s splashy, flashy drumming gets things moving in style, and then the set goes on to showcase Horace Silver, The Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Hank Mobley, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Smith, Les McCann, Herbie Hancock, Red Garland, Grant Green, Jimmy McGriff and a host of others.

Some time ago I created a Cannonball Adderley “station” on Pandora for home listening via my Blu-Ray player. I thumbs-downed any vocal tunes, and quickly ended up with a delightful playlist. Les McCann started popping up more and more often, so I made another station based around his style. That playlist quickly introduced me to nearly all of the artists whose work appears on this new The Birth of Soul Jazz set (I knew about Blakey and Jimmy Smith already). That McCann station is now one of my most oft-played selections when I’m at home (which is often). The thing is, The Birth of Soul Jazz is every bit as exciting, varied and enjoyable as that assortment. So for a collection of soul jazz that you can hold in your hand, The Birth of Soul Jazz simply can’t be beat. Essential for fans of the genre, and perhaps the best, most concise musical overview, it’s ideal for turning your friends onto this style of music.

* with apologies to Derek Smalls aka Harry Shearer.

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Concert Review: Charles Bradley and the Extraordinaires — Asheville NC, April 18 2013

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

There exists a certain, special sort of concert. And in my experience, it’s extremely rare: the sort of show in which I find myself realizing a mere three, two or even one song into the set that this is an artist I don’t ever want to miss. On those exceedingly uncommon instances, I tell myself, “whenever this act returns here – or even close by – I will make a studied effort to come out to the show.”

That’s a very high standard. There are plenty of musical artists whose work I treasure, and whose live performances are fantastic. But what I’m describing here is something that transcends even that level of greatness. I’m talking about acts that are so powerful – so able to connect emotionally with their audience – that the result is a singular experience. It’s happened only a handful of times for me in recent years: Swedish fokrockpsych group Dungen did it for me; so did King Khan and the Shrines. And now Charles Bradley and the Extraordinaires can be added to that list of amazing shows.

Generally for me, it’s quite difficult to write a show review the morning after the concert; at that point I am still too close to the event. My thoughts haven’t settled, crystallized. And if the show went late, I might be tired as well. So in nearly all cases, I hold off several days before putting my thoughts down in words. But after last night’s show, I don’t feel that I can wait.

It’s not as if Bradley needs my help. One of those “overnight sensations” who had in actuality been toiling in obscurity (and near poverty) for decades, Charles Bradley now has two highly-rated and successful full length albums behind him (2011′s No Time for Dreaming and the brand-new Victim of Love), and he has toured incessantly to promote both. Though in hid mid-60s, Bradley is a consummate, athletic showman: on every song, he puts his heart, voice and body into the performance. In the hands of a lesser artist, his onstage moves and persona would be laughable shtick; described in words, his jumps, splits, mic stand acrobatics and endless gesticulations might seem silly and over the top. But in person, they’re nothing of the kind; few artists are so “real” onstage.

The band really cooks, too. In a clear nod to the approach employed by the mid-60s Stax/Volt Revue (Booker T & the MGs with the Mar-Keys horn section, backing a succession of Stax vocalists), the Extraordinaires simply ripped it up. Each set began with a few instrumental pieces that set the scene, ratcheting up the excitement in anticipation of Bradley’s stage entrance. Referring to these instrumental introductions, I commented to a friend, “I’d buy an album of this music.” Despite the fact that the band was so impressively tight and forceful, their work – whether it be the trumpet-and-sax duo who sounded like six players, or the lead guitarist with his bag of tricks that included judicious, intelligent and exciting use of fuzztone and wah-wah – never competed with Bradley’s voice or visual presence. The band was truly in service of the songs.

Bradley gave it everything he had, from the moment he came onstage – introduced in a crowd-fluffing showman-style by his keyboardist – until his exit, after which he implemented a costume change. His set-opening outfit was a stylish suit, but his emotive performance quickly necessitated a jacket removal. By the midpoint of that first set, Bradley was drenched in sweat.

When he returned, he was resplendent in a red jumpsuit and jacket; the back of the jacket was emblazoned with a large eagle motif, signifying his reputation as the Screaming Eagle of Soul. On this night – as on every other, I’m told – Charles Bradley earned that label. Conjuring the very best of American soul music, southern variety, Bradley evoked memories of Wilson Pickett, James Brown and Otis Redding. But – and this is part of the key to his appeal – in no case did he ape any of those greats, and notably, he and the Extraordinaires didn’t cover any of their material. But then Bradley’s original songs – many penned in collaboration with Thomas Brenneck (his album producer and a member of The Budos Band) – are strong enough that he needn’t mine the catalogs of other artists.

Very good on record but simply peerless onstage, Charles Bradley must been seen and heard live onstage. Highly recommended not only to soul music fans, but to anyone and everyone who appreciates good music and an emotionally resonant concert experience. If you see him the next time he rolls though Asheville NC, I’ll be in the crowd, too.

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EP Review: Nakia – Drown in the Crimson Tide

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

Deftly walking the tightrope between crafting classic soul and serving up something contemporary, Nakia‘s EP Drown in the Crimson Tide has it both ways. Remaining true to the style and spirit of southern-fried soul of the Memphis variety, Nakia still sounds current; there’s no artifice nor hamfisted retro pandering in his six self-penned tracks.

The neo-soul movement has brought to prominence some compelling artists of late: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Akina Adderley, James Morrison, Mayer Hawthorne, The Right Now, The City Champs and many others. And though his recorded output to date has mostly flown under the radar – Drown in the Crimson Tide follows an earlier EP and two albums, one a collaboration with Alejandro Escovedo – he presents strong evidence that he belongs on that list.

In addition to his soulful, expressive voice and solid no-frills musical backing, Nakia Reynoso writes thoughtful lyrics: “Make Up With a Gun” digs at the motivation behind firearms ownership. The autobiographical “Dream Big” telegraphs its point in its title, but the heartfelt lyrics explain what keeps this artist moving forward. “Pieces and Castles” is less soul and more r&b/rock, and it has the feel of John Hiatt or Warren Zevon. Melanie Taylor‘s stacked-overdubbed vocals add a gospel flavor.

And in the rare case when Nakia does consciously try to emulate the sounds of old – as on the dramatic ballad “When I Found You,” he hits all the right notes. Channeling his inner Otis Redding, he’s backed by The Texicali Horns, an outfit that’s clearly ingested a steady and healthy diet of Muscle Shoals Horns. And once again Melanie Taylor’s vocal backing helps take things to another level.

The highest praise that can be conferred upon an EP is to suggest that it’s over too soon. That’s certainly the case with Drown in the Crimson Tide; hopefully another full length will come soon from this Austin-based artist worth following.

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Album Review: Barbara & Ernie – Prelude To…

Monday, April 1st, 2013

I truly admire the people at Real Gone Music. They continue to unearth music from ages ago that is in some cases long-cherished. In other cases it’s long-forgotten but worthwhile. And in yet other cases, the music never got much of a hearing to begin with; you can’t forget what you never knew.

And it’s into that last category that Prelude To… falls. Credited to Barbara & Ernie, it’s a 1971 one-off collaboration between Barbara Massey (vocals, keyboards and autoharp) and Ernie Calabria (vocals, guitar, electric sitar and some bass). Backed by some ace sessioners, the duo and their album sank pretty much without a trace, despite being on Cotillion (the same Atlantic Records subsidiary that released Emerson, Lake & Palmer‘s debut LP in the USA).

Though it’s credited as a duo, Massey’s voice is the most prominent instrument on the record. And she has quote a set of pipes. Not only can she sing whatever sort of material she wishes – ballads, soulful numbers – but her singular style means that she can sound like herself while strongly evoking other top-notch vocalists. The musically ambitious “Play With Fire” finds Massey sounding like some sort of cross between Grace Slick and Julie Driscoll. On the gentle, stately J.S. Bach-influenced “Prelude,” Massey sounds very much like Laura Nyro. And in other places she may remind listeners of Carole King or Karen Carpenter. And so on: witness “Listen to Your Heart,” in which she sounds uncannily like Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane.

Barbara & Ernie’s cover of Jefferson Airplane‘s (or The Great Society‘s, if we’re being picky) “Somebody to Love” is very much in the style of Driscoll’s work with Brian Auger; Massey’s finely-timed strums on autoharp will make you forget The Lovin’ Spoonful.

The players are certainly no slouches, either. Calabria’s subtle, jazzy guitar work on “Searching the Circle” is a delight, and the horn charts on that tune (and a few others) are subtle and thrilling at once. (Aside: I’ve read that “Searching the Circle” has been sampled for breakbeats and grooves on hip-hop tracks, but can’t tell you which ones.) And with orchestration by a pre-disco Eumir Deodato, this is one of those albums that rewards close listening.

Listening to this shortish album in 2013, the biggest mystery may be why it didn’t chart; everything about it: writing, singing, performance, arrangement, production – is exemplary, and it’s a varied (but not too varied) collection of songs. One supposes that the “just too much other good stuff at the time” argument might explain it. But thanks to Real Gone Music, the time for Barbara & Ernie’s Prelude To… is now. It’s a gem worth discovering.

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Album Review: Shuggie Otis – Inspiration Information / Wings of Love

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

There are many stories in pop music history centering around artists who – for one reason or another — never quite fulfilled their potential. More often than not, those reasons tend to fall into one (or both) of two categories: substance or psychological issues, and/or management that was bad, inept or (at worst) malevolent.

Whatever the particular reason or reasons, Shuggie Otis‘ career stopped in its tracks when he was barely 20. Son of the legendary Johnny Otis – the Greek-American r&b bandleader who often “passed for black” – Shuggie began his career as a young teen, playing guitar in his dad’s band. And young Shuggie was a dizzyingly impressive talent; not only could he spin tasty leads on his electric guitar, but he applied his inventiveness equally between covers – adding new interest to old songs – and his own original material. He also played a wide variety of instruments and sang. His 1970 solo debut Here Comes Shuggie Otis is an overlooked gem, and its opener “Oxford Grey” is an exemplar of Otis’ synthesis of styles.

The man born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr. released a mere three albums in his brief career: after the debut there was the highly-regarded Freedom Flight in 1971, a record that contained his most well-known song, “Strawberry Letter #23” (later a hit for The Brothers Johnson), and then – after a longish break – 1974′s Inspiration Information. But after 1974, no new music has been released by Shuggie Otis. Until now.

In 2013 Epic/Legacy is reissuing Otis’ third and final album, along with an additional disc of material called Wings of Love. This bonus disc contains music that Otis has been working on – true solo material – over the last thirty-nine years.

Inspiration Information
The reissued Inspiration Information is a flawed treasure. While not quite up to the standard of his first two records, it features many ace tracks. The title song (and album opener) sounds very much like Hall & Oates (though of course it’s the other way around). The smooth-yet-funky sounds of “Island Letter” are a treat, and “Sparkle City” sounds like a way-funkier Steely Dan.

On the tantalizingly brief “Happy House,” Otis aims successfully for a sort of r&b answer to Todd Rundgren‘s one man band excursions. And he shows off his ability to mimic other guitarists throughout the record: “Rainy Day” has a Wes Montgomery feel. But while Otis’ interest in (and reliance upon) the Rhythm King – an early drum machine – might have been fascinating on record in the mid 1970s, today it gives the songs a frustratingly unfinished demo-like quality. Even when juxtaposed with soaring string arrangements (as on “Aht Uh Mi Hed”), the clip-clop drum machine sounds detract from the overall quality of the songs. With its lounge organ and effects-laden guitar licks, “XL-30” sounds like a good idea for a song, but it never develops fully into one. Even though “Pling!” has some sultry sax work, the drum machine keeps it from being effective. But the varied “Not Available” wraps the album up in style; when Otis has real drums, the quality of his material seems to rise dramatically.

The bonus track “Miss Pretty” is a funky track that wouldn’t have been out of pace in a blaxploitation film. Another bonus, “Things We Like to Do” is a rarity: an Otis track with drum machine that actually works. The hypnotic percussion blends nicely with some extremely tasty woodwind work and stacked vocals. “Castle Top Jam” feels kinda funky but doesn’t really go anywhere. As a whole, Inspiration Information is a slightly frustrating mix of soaring highs and disappointing lows, but well worth hearing.

Wings of Love
The bonus Wings of Love disc attempts to answer the where’s-Shuggie-been question. And the answer is: somewhere a bit odd, somewhere out of time. “Special” is layered with strange vocal overdubs that upset the flow of the song, and an odd riff that also doesn’t seem to fit: there’s polyrhythm and then there’s this. Fans of Prince might enjoy it, though. The staked guitar leads of “Give Me something Good” are catchy, but in terms of style, the slightly discofied track seems pinned to, say, 1977. The Rhythm King returns on “Tryin’ to Get Close to You,” which is otherwise an effective track featuring some funk-poppin’ bass lines.

“Walkin’ Down the Country” sports a higher level of production values, and finds Otis in a smooth, romantic mood. It’s among the strongest cuts on Wings of Love, and shows that Otis has improved as a singer as he’s grown older. Sprightly horn chart s are juxtaposed with frenetic Rhythm King backing on “Doin’ What’s Right.” With real drums this could have been a contender.

Strings, lovely piano glissandi, gentle plucked/strummed Spanish guitar, and sounds of seagulls paint a lovely aural intro on “Wings of Love.” It’s a terrific track, again subtly echoing Todd Rundgren’s more soulful work.

“Give Me a Chance” and “Don’t You Run Away” sound like a commercial bid circa 1980, with dated synth and guitar sounds. In that context, neither is too bad, but the cuts are not especially memorable. Despite its nth-generation tape dub feel, “Fireball of Love” showcases Shuggie’s guitar work in a funk-shuffle context, with a nice organ bed.

“Fawn” sports a n appealing melody,but could have been done by any number of slick, identikit 80s r&b acts. “If You’d Be Mine” is bogged down with dated synth sounds. But then things change drastically: “Black Belt Sheriff” features Shuggie Otis live onstage with an acoustic guitar; it’s evocative and reminiscent of another long-lost artist, Sixto Rodriguez. The set ends with a commercial-sounding (if highly derivative) number called “Destination You!” Yet again, the cheesy percussion detracts.

Wings of Love would easily qualify as a three-star album had it immediately followed Inspiration Information; as it is, it’s a document of an artist with plenty left to say, but who (as heard on this disc) is saying it using outdated forms. One can hope that its success will lead to new material from Shuggie Otis (currently mounting a tour), and that he’ll get ahold of a real drummer and some modern keyboards to back him up.

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Album Review: Gene Harris – The Three Sounds

Thursday, February 28th, 2013

The venerable Blue Note label has long been a trademark of quality; even if you’re not familiar with the artist or the recorded work, chances are that if it came out on Blue Note, it’s at least worth checking out. And that’s true for the pair of confusingly- and similarly-named albums released in the early 70s. Gene Harris / The Three Sounds (1971) and Gene Harris of the Three Sounds (1972) are soul jazz (and just-plain-jazz with (and without) vocals. Very much of their time, these LPs have aged well, despite being hard to locate for many years. Now reissued on Real Gone Music, these sixteen cuts of funky-soul and jazz goodness can be enjoyed by modern audiences.

Gene Harris‘ piano enlivens every one of these tracks, but don’t let the Three Sounds monicker fool you into thinking these cuts are just piano, bass and drums. There’s some (here’s that word again) funky guitar work, plus some tasty percussion to spice things up. Imagine a cross between some of the more soulful jazz pianists of the era (Herbie Hancock, to name one) and the kind of thing that Isaac Hayes did in his more uptempo moments, and you’ll have a flavor for The Three Sounds.

The vocals are fine – Harris is an expressive vocalist, and massive overdubs (as on “I’m Leaving”) create a Harris-chorus of sorts. But it’s on the instrumental numbers (such as “Your Love is too Much”) in which the band really gets into the deep groove. While the piano filigree on “Did You Think” is pretty amazing in its speed and complexity, the somewhat maudlin song doesn’t support it well enough. But the instrumental “Put On Train” again bridges that gap between jazz and Curtis Mayfield circa Super Fly. “You Got to Play the Game” aims for a slick Philly soul vibe, and is reasonably successful if a bit unabashedly commercial-sounding for this set.

The alternating on Gene Harris / The Three Sounds between vocal and instro numbers continues with the fun and groovy “What’s the Answer?” (not strictly an instrumental cut, but close enough). But then the group breaks the pattern and serves up another no-word cut, a thrillingly inspired cover of the Beatles‘ “Eleanor Rigby.” The album wraps up with “Hey Girl,” enlivened by some deft piano work and slick guitar work.

The sonic approach on the 1972 album – a Harris solo outing – is quite a bit different: the funk and soul are dialed way back in favor of a more straight jazz approach. “Django” kicks things off in a much more cocktail-lounge sort of manner. “Lean on Me” adds vibes to the arrangement but doesn’t offer a lot not present in Bill Withers‘ original. As a whole the ’72 LP aims for a more subdued approach, one that’s far less funky and more traditional. “A Day in the Life of a Fool (Manha De Carnaval)” veers perilously close to easy listening.

The oft-covered “John Brown’s Body” gets a tender piano-centric reading, but sadly it wouldn’t be out of place in an upscale hotel lobby bar. “Listen Here” revives the funkiness factor, and is a showcase for Harris’ piano plus some wah-wah guitar work. The brushwork and upright bass on “Emily” support Harris’ gentle and subtle piano work, but again, for fans of the previous disc, this might seem too pretty by half.

Perennial jazz standard “Killer Joe” gets a spirited reading from Harris and his players, and it’s among the disc’s finest pieces. The album wraps up with “C Jam Blues,” in which Harris’ foil is a very George Benson-ish (or Wes Montgomery-ish) guitar from the always-thrilling-yet-tasteful Cornell Dupree.

Pat Thomas‘ liner notes give background and take proper note of these two LPs’ status as favorites among crate diggers around the world.

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Album Review: Otis Redding – Lonely & Blue

Monday, February 25th, 2013

Released in 1966, Lonely & Blue was perhaps Otis Redding‘s finest collection of songs centering on the heartfelt, pained end of the soul balladeering spectrum. With its trademark packaging design – as distinctive in its own way as the aesthetic of jazz giant Blue Note – the Volt Records release captured everything that made Redding and his label so highly regarded. Right down to the brief liner notes from Detroit deejay Marty Hackman of WDHJ-AM, Lonely & Blue was as fine a time capsule of the whole mid-sixties Stax/Volt vibe as you’ll ever find in a used record bin.

Except, of course, for one small fact: the album Lonely & Blue never existed…until now. It’s a cleverly (and lovingly) crafted pastiche of a 1965-66 LP. The folks at Concord Music Group – curators of much of the Stax/Volt catalogue along with portions of the work of Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Tony Bennett (not to mention jazz label catalogs of Fantasy, Riverside and others…they pick well) – have pulled out all the stops to create an album-that-never-was. And the result is one that well should have existed long before now.

Yes, all the packaging and song selection is spot-on. All of the the creativity and imagination lacking in Concord’s recent perfunctory Tony Bennett release As Time Goes By was apparently saved up and expended instead on Lonely & Blue. Even the cover: the art is faux-worn to show the impression of the vinyl record within its sleeve. Of course this art-director’s trick has been used on countless albums before, but here it seems somehow even more apropos.

But in the end, none of this would matter if the music wasn’t superb. Since we’re talking about Otis Redding – quite possibly the greatest soul singer ever to roam this Earth – it’s tough to go wrong. But the compilers worked hard to create a record (yes, a record: Lonely & Blue will be released on limited-edition blue vinyl in addition to the CD and digital versions) that is sequenced to feel like a mid-sixties release. On the down side, that means it’s not stuffed to the 80-minute digital limit with songs; twelve cuts, six per “side.” And in keeping with the theme – emotion-laden ballads – if there are hits, it’s only by coincidence. No “Dock of the Bay” here: as compilation producer David Gorman says, “There are a few hits on the album, but they’re there because they fit the mood, not because we wanted to include the hits.”

The result is that “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and “Send Me Some Lovin’” sit right alongside lesser-known tracks like an alternate take of “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember.” These are slow-burn songs, not uptempo soul ravers. Thematically unified and full of great music, Lonely & Blue truly is a modern-day rethink of the way to market Redding’s music to the masses. And it poignantly suggests – by design or by coincidence – the marketing approach Stax/Volt might have taken with him had he not died so tragically and prematurely in 1967.

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Album Review: Bobbi Humphrey – Dig This!

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

Some jazz purists might look down their noses and sniff at the style known as soul jazz. And wile I don’t share their point of view, I understand where they’re coming from. Often as not, soul jazz is (or was, during its late 60s -to-early 70s heyday) a case of ace jazz cats making music acceptable enough for the masses who find regular jazz to inaccessible, too out-there. And with its folding in influences of rock, rhythm & blues and even disco, soul jazz can seem – in the eyes and ears of its detractors, at least – as the worst of all possible worlds, a sellout.

But I tend to look past that, and in return find some really fun music that evokes a time and place in pop culture. The best soul jazz – really just jazz with more conventional melodic forms – can move the listener in a way that the more cerebral stuff might not.

At the tender age of 21, flautist Bobbi Humphrey had already secured a contract with the highly esteemed Blue Note label, and cut Dig This! as her followup to her debut of the previous year, Flute In. While Humphrey’s lyrical flute work is always out front, able backing provides her songs with the texture they need. Humphrey’s strength lay not in compositional skills: all eight pieces on Dig This! are covers or written by others. But this music is – thanks in large part to the deft, expanisive arrangements – the kind of thing that movies get made around. “Smiling Faces Sometimes” focuses more on the underlying riff than the signature melody, and some way-funky clavinet and electric guitar make this nearly the equal of the original. When Humphrey spars with guitarist David Spinozza near the song’s end, it’s a thrill; Wade Marcus‘ sympathetic string arrangement only heightens the vibe.

“Virtue” is an abstract piece, closer in some ways to Miles Davis‘ Bitches Brew than any sort of soul jazz. Davis sideman Ron Carter is the bassist throughout Dig This!, by the way. “I Love Every Little Thing About you” sounds like the theme to a film of TV show of the era, with its bright and catchy melody, shuffling proto-disco drums and more of those funky bass and clavinet breaks.

Taken as a whole, the music on Dig This! can reward close listening, revealing some exciting playing and arrangement. Or it can serve as pleasant, uptempo background music of the sort that doesn’t insist upon total attention. It’s the rare album that succeeds on both levels. Long unavailable in any form, Dig This! got a well-deserved re-release – its fist ever in digital format – by Real Gone Music in very late 2012.

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Capsule Reviews: January 2013, Part 6

Thursday, January 24th, 2013

Here’s the final — for now — of four installments in my occasional series of capsule reviews; you’ll find rock, blue-eyed soul, fusion and breezy SoCal pop. I had a huge stack of CDs deserving of review, but time doesn’t allow for full-length reviews of everything, and these were beginning to gather dust. They deserve better. My self-imposed limit for this particular exercise is 150 words on each album.

Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers – Recorded Live in Concert at the Metropolis Studios, London
While the 1960s (defined here as February 1964 to December 1969) are my favorite era for pop music, the 1970s were pretty great, too. And as rock’n'roll became rock, all manner of great bands came out of the woodwork. An untold number were lost in the shuffle. I have about 6000 records, yet many great 70s acts that I like (or might like) haven’t found their way onto my shelves yet. One of these was Be-Bop Deluxe. I used to see their LPs in the shops, but never got ’round to checking them out. Well, they’re long gone now, but their spirit lives on in leader/guitarist Bill Nelson. His latest (a 2CD+DVD set) shows him in fine form, serving up a sort of 70s-styled alternarock. Musically and vocally there’s a passing similarity to Roxy Music, but Nelson cranks out more gnarly textures from his guitar than is Phil Manzanera‘s wont.

Sanford & Townsend – Smoke From a Distant Fire / Nail Me to the Wall
I would never tell you that the 1970s were only about great music. I respect you far too much for that. Plus, you’d never buy such a line of utter bullshit. But it remains true that even when the music wasn’t exactly immortal, it often served its purpose as in-the-moment entertainment. Such is the case with the breezy, slightly soulful Hall & Oates soundalikes Sanford & Townsend. If you liked The Doobie Brothers, Chicago and other FM radio fodder, chances are good you liked “Smoke From a Distant Fire.” Regardless, you sure-as-hell heard it, didn’t you? Real Gone has paired the album of that same with the group’s third album, Nail Me to the Wall (the second LP gets only a perfunctory mention in the liner notes). If you like the hit, you’ll like the eighteen other tunes of slightly lesser merit. Gene Sculatti‘s liner notes provide helpful context.

Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin and Dennis Chambers – HBC
As a well known and widely admired jazz fusion bassist, Jeff Berlin has lent his talents to many recordings. Both under his own name (with ten albums to his credit) and as a sideman to some of the biggest and best names in progressive/fusion (Bill Bruford, Allan Holdsworth, and even briefly as the unbilled replacement for the also-unbilled Tony Levin in almost-Yes aggregation Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe), Berlin lends his considerable talents to the music, and is clearly not overly concerned with being in the spotlight. That explains why he’s the “B” in HBC, an album featuring him plus Scott Henderson (guitar) and Dennis Chambers (drums). This is fusion jazz with shredding guitar work and plenty of Berlin’s deft, fleet-fingered Jaco Pastorius-styled bass (according to Wikipedia, Berlin dislikes the comparison). You’ll find few vocals to trouble your soul on HBC, just plenty of taut, expert and thrilling instro-fusion.

Brewer & Shipley – Down in L.A.
Real Gone Music, Numero Group and Omnivore aren’t the only labels run by crate-diggers intent on unearthing forgotten music from our collective past. In the UK there’s Now Sounds. One of their recent releases is a reissue of the 1968 debut from Brewer & Shipley. The songwriting duo who’d later have a hit with “One Toke Over the Line” (a song so ubiquitous it got covered on The Lawrence Welk Show; see YouTube) cut an album for A&M called Down in L.A. To say that the album sank in the marketplace of its time would be understatement. But the folky, country-flavored songs and arrangements (shades of The Association and Buffalo Springfield) deserved a better fate. Support by Jim Messina (bass) and drummers Hal Blaine and Jim Gordon guaranteed that the album would be tasty, but the songwriting’s pretty fine too. A helluva lot better than “One Toke,” too.

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Album Review: Mitch Ryder – Live at Rockpalast 1979 + 2004

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

Mitch Ryder is a tricky figure to pin down. Though he enjoyed a brief string of hits in the mid 60s (first with the Detroit Wheels and then as an ostensible solo artist), by the end of the 60s, the commercial marketplace had pretty much made its decision: his career was over and done. But nobody told Ryder (born William Levise). Though largely silent (on record, at least) between the release of 1971′s Detroit and his “comeback” around the end of that decade, Ryder has amassed a staggeringly deep catalog; at last count he had no less than two dozen albums of material released under is own name.

Good luck finding more than a few of those records, however; Ryder has never gotten much traction in the USA with his music; what commercial success he has had stateside has mostly been on the oldies circuit, something for which he has professed little love.

Those who haven’t heard him may be surprised to hear that his vocal style and onstage mannerisms are a sort of cross between Little Richard and Robert Palmer (he even looks a bit like the latter, though Ryder’s older and still among the living). Unlike much of the oldies-circuit ilk, Ryder is a hard-charging soul rocker.

Ryder’s solo career differs from his Detroit Wheels period in an important way: he writes the lion’s share of his own material, and when he does cover another artist (which he does with some frequency), he makes the songs his own. A pair of new (albeit archival) releases showcases all of Ryder’s stragneths.

Fresh into the aforementioned comeback, in 1979 Ryder took to the stage for German television’s WDR, at Grugahalle Essen. On this disc, with a set that’s in turns rocking, soulful and funky, Ryder and his band tear through songs from his then-current album Naked But Not Dead (like Lee Hazlewood, Ryder has long had a penchant for off-the-wall, inscrutable, in-joke album titles) and a well-chosen assortment of covers. The band is in top form, and rocks a helluva lot harder than one might expect. It’s a no-compromise set, though Ryder and band do allow eight minutes worth of nostalgia by burning through his two Wheels-era medleys (“CC Rider / Jenny Take a Ride” and “Devil With a Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly”). But in the end, Ryder seems more interested when he’s leading the band through a twelve-minute reading The Doors‘ “Soul Kitchen.”

By that time in Ryder’s career, it must have already dawned on him that he was something of a prophet without honor in his homeland, beginning around this time, his efforts and successes would be centered on the European continent (this focus remains true today, as he explained in my 2012 interview with him).

So it’s little surprise that Ryder would return to the German stage many more times. In 2004, some of the same personnel involved in making his 1979 concert broadcast possible put together another show. This one ran a bit longer, and while it included those same two medleys (even a non-commercial artist like Ryder knows he has to deliver those for the punters, and he does so well), the set still offered up his trademark mix of then-current self-penned originals and covers that were near and dear to his heart. (And he still closes the set with the Doors tune.)

Peter Rüchel of the German TV show Rockpalast penned the relatively brief liner notes for this set, which is avaialble in tow configurations: a 3CD box containing both concerts, and a 2DVD set with the same material plus a notorious 1979 pre-show interview with Ryder. (That roaringly drunk interview is ominously mentioned in the liner notes, which will make its absence on the CD version a bit frustrating for consumers.)

Seeing and hearing this music may well make one wonder why Ryder hasn’t enjoyed some measure of success; what he offered in 1979 was every bit the equal of other stars who made the bigger time (e.g. John Mellencamp, briefly an ally/patron of Ryder’s). And in 2004 he still delivered the goods, even when working with an aggregation best described as a pickup band.

Those looking for some undiscovered straight-ahead rock’n'roll – and/or those who enjoy Ryder’s music but sometimes find his studio efforts a bit wanting – will enjoy either of these sets.

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