There's a vampire with a flute on the cover – and that image alone is
more than enough to make us drop the needle on this rare Japanese gem
from the 70s! And fortunately, the sound of the music is equally cool –
funky fusion with some nicely spacey currents – almost a Mizell
Brothers vibe at points, in the way elements can swirl around in the
mix, and attain this wonderfully full power without ever sounding too
commercial at all! There's definitely some of that flute on the record,
but the keyboards are maybe even cooler – as is all the electric
instrumentation, which comes together in a sublime way!
Taste :
The Mystery Kindaichi Band – Yatsuhakamura (Eight Village Grave)
Value : From 2.500 to 3.500 euros (the original press)
A stunning set of modal soul jazz from the LA underground of the 60s –
the only album we've ever seen by pianist J Reginald Andrews – and an
earthy set that's filled with great tracks! The overall approach is
piano and percussion plus horn bits – with Andrews on the keys, playing
in solidly soulful waves of sound, really setting the scene for the
album's strong work on alto, baritone, and trumpet. There's some conga
at the bottom, and a freewheeling approach that reminds us a lot of the
mighty first album by the Harold Johnson Sextet – a group who were
certainly contemporaries of Andrews on the LA scene.
Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps
you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as
his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to
the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and
vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy
Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both
Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great
too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of
whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi
Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses
tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes",
"Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of
Sand".By dusty
Rare classic work from Gloria Ann Taylor – working in a soaring setting
with the Walter Whisenhunt Orchestra! "Deep Inside You" has this unusual
flow – almost stop/start in energy, but with Taylor really soaring out
on her vocals, as some cool vibes and other sweet touches work some
magic in the background. Also includes the rarer long version of "Love
Is A Hurting Thing" and "What's Your End".
The groove here is far different than the more familiar The Jon Bartel Thing. The tracks open up in a really extended
mode – vamping and jamming with a definite influence from funk, as Jon Bartel
and the combo explore some of the hippest corners of their sound!
What kind of cover artwork has been chosen for their debut album!
LP-sleeves usually picture shapely beauties who are trifle more
nice-looking than this front cover painting by E.F. Wondrusch. Opinions
differ if this strange eye-catcher could be one of the reasons for weak
sales of the album and a complete disorientation of the band after its
original release on Bacillus Records/ Bellaphon Austria only. Another
sad example for a group of musicians and producers who never received
the recognition that they deserve. Sound Engineers and producers Ernie
Seuberth, Rudi Sykora and Joe Ofenböck set up their machines at Gorilla
Studios and used AKG equipment for the recording sessions and their
timeless remix supervision.
“Atlas” – the album - opens up with “Hey Man!”, built on incredible
brass sounds, dubby reverb effects combined with howling guitar riffs
and the bluesy voice of Reinhard Ploil. Then a phased drum solo opens up
the track “Pasteboard” ... catapulting the listener into jam heaven
with stunning parts of slide trombone and fender rhodes work. The soft
voice of Reinhard on “Ain`t No Sunshine” is combined with dreamy fender
piano and light horns to turn the Bill Withers classic into one of the
finest versions ever.
The singer also impresses listeners on the self penned ballads “Skybird,
Fly” and “Let`s Not Believe”, while “Necessity” is a wicked funk
track, that made this particular LP a classic among DJs and rare groove
afficionados. “Play It Cool” is the most catchy blue-eyed soul song on
the record and should have rotated on the radio for months, but why
there were no programmers to discover, that all of the cuts on this
vanished longplayer are cool?
