A striking little set from vibesman Freddie McCoy – not just for the
cool superhero image on the front cover, but also for the tight grooves
underneath! The album's one of McCoy's most unified for Prestige – as
all tracks feature a core quartet with Freddie on vibes, Charlie Wilson
on piano, Steve Davis on bass, and Rudy Lawless on drums – not your
usual Prestige players, and all musicians who really make the album
sparkle!
A lost bit of funky vibes and Fender Rhodes – one of those few records
that's as sublime as it is rare – like work by Billy Wooten or Lyman
Woodard! The Bobby Hamilton Quintet were an obscure combo from upstate
New York – but they've lived on in our hearts (and ears!) with this rare
gem from the 70s – a killer set that features Bobby on Rhodes, vocals,
and percussion; Mike Gipson (aka Brother Fundi) on vibes, percussion,
and electronics; and additional trumpet, tenor, and percussion – used
to just the right effect in these totally great arrangements. Most of
the tunes on the album are instrumentals – with a very cool, ultra-hip
soul jazz approach that's somewhere between the very early Polydor work
of Roy Ayers, and the funky electric grooves of the Nineteenth Whole –
and the tracks are long, and have a really deep, soulful feel!
Taste :
The Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited - In The Mouth Of The Beast
The Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited - Priscilla
The Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited - Roll Your Own
Mindblowing -- and a landmark recording that crosses all boundaries in
the Chicago music scene of the late 60s! Philip Cohran was a visionary
musician who'd played with Sun Ra during the 60s, but who left Ra to
forge his own musical vision by the middle part of the decade. The
Artistic Heritage ensemble was a crucially important group in Chicago --
one that drew players from both the soul and jazz scenes, with a wealth
of talents that later went onto work with groups like Earth Wind &
Fire, The Pharoahs, Ra's Arkestra, and other ensembles. Talents on this
set alone include players like Charles Handy, Don Myrick, Aaron Dodd,
Henry Gibson, and Louis Satterfield -- not to mention Cohran, who plays
cornet (as he did with Sun Ra), plus two groovy instruments of his own
invention: the violin uke and the great Frankiphone, a sort of electric
thumb piano whose use on these recordings pre-dated the very famous
Kalimba sound that Earth Wind & Fire would use to great success
during the 70s. The album includes the driving conga funk track
"Unity", the singing soulful track "The Minstrel", the incredibly
haunting "On The Beach", and the track "Motherhood", which has a strong
Abbey Lincoln type of feel.
Taste :
Philip Cohran and The Artistic Heritage Ensemble - The Minstrel
Brilliant basswork from Henry Franklin – one of the hippest cats
handling his instrument on the west coast in the 70s – working here with
a wicked ensemble of soulful, righteous players! Franlin's bass sets
the tone of the record right from the very first note – but the album's a
very collaborative effort, too – and features Oscar Brashear on
trumpet, Charles Owens on tenor, Bill Henderson on soprano sax, Ndugu
Chancler on drums, and Kirk Lightsey on both piano and flute! The
legendary David Durrah plays piano on two tracks – his own "Waltz for
"Boobuss" and "Venus Fly Trap" – and the Sisters Happiness sing vocals
on the latter cut, too.
No Mirage here -- as the album's got a presence that's impossible to
deny -- a solid, soulful uttering from this key Chicago combo of the
70s! The group's led by reedman Ari Brown -- better known for his later
avant work -- and they've got a wicked blend of keyboards and horns
with lots of complicated touches, played out over funky rhythms that are
completely mindblowing! The great Ken Chaney plays keyboards, and in
addition to Brown's reeds, the set also features trumpet from Frank
Gordon, trombone from Steve Galloway, and bass from Rufus Reid -- plus
cool percussion from Arlington Davis and Drasheer Khalid. Most cuts are
instrumental, and recorded beautifully -- but one number, "The Ultimate
Frontier", also features vocals from Anita Jefferies.
During the summer of 1973, director Omiros Efstratiadis was making a crime film called "She Knew No Other Way”. The shots of the film took place in the cosmopolitan Greek island of Rhodes where a bunch of hippies spend their holidays. They seek an easy and carefree way of life and do not hesitate to use any legal or illegal mean in order to get it. The director needed a film score to match with the psychedelic scenes of the film which where overshadowed by a psychotic mixture of sex and violence. Mike Rozakis was the ideal composer for this film score. Carrying an excellent background in beat music, he managed to filter his influences through the fusion trends of jazz and his classical learning. There is a wealth of styles throughout the film score. Funky breaks, jazzy grooves, fusion improvising and psychedelic effects. The innovative arrangements are enriched by the skilful performance of the musicians creating a unique avant-garde score.The sound has been transferred from the original master tapes in 96kh/24bit and mastered in class-A equipment in order to produce excellent audio quality.
An amazing record – one with a depth that goes way beyond its simple
roots, and which has gone on to become one of the true Christmas
classics of the 20th Century! Although a Christmas soundtrack, the
album's more of a tapestry of sadness, longing, and loss – the best
qualities that always emerge in true Christmas classics – underscoring
the blue side of the season that's always lurking around corners from
the happier moments. Vince Guaraldi penned this score back when he was a
rising talent on the San Francisco scene – and in a way, it was almost
his musical contribution to the cartoon that made it such a lasting
favorite – even over and above the appeal of the famous animated
characters. Most tunes are simple piano ones, but played with a
phrasing that's beautifully timeless – and the few vocal numbers feature
voices from the cartoon, singing softly with the music.
