Kellee Patterson's debut LP Maiden Voyage
is edgier and more challenging than her subsequent soul-oriented
sessions, yet at the same time it's also the most mainstream recording
ever issued on the Black Jazz imprint, boasting little of the label's
signature deep-groove swagger. Produced and arranged by Black Jazz
founder Gene Russell, the album's late-night, neon-lit atmosphere nevertheless does right by Patterson's sultry if slight vocals, although the material -- highlighted by the Herbie Hancock-penned "Maiden Voice" -
A brilliant album – and real turning point for Herbie Hancock! After
first coming onto the scene as the soul jazz hero between Blue Note
funky classics like "Watermelon Man" or "Blind Man, Blind Man" – Herbie
emerges here as a concerned modernist with a strand of spirituality that
runs deeper than previously expressed. The key track in this vision is
his brilliant modal number "Maiden Voyage" – one of those tunes that
sounded totally fresh immediately, and which was picked up by many
others as a jazz anthem during the 60s. The rest of the album's equally
great – and features George Coleman on tenor, Freddie Hubbard on
trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all making for
a very hip lineup that really lets Herbie open up stylistically!
A bit more of a high concept album than some of Wynton Marsalis'
previous efforts – a set with a few more added horns on side one, and an
extended suite on side two! The work definitely shows Wynton's
increasing concern with jazz history – his desire to embrace, and
sometimes represent, decades of past musical expression in his work – a
real Lincoln Center sort of impulse, but one that still comes off
relatively well here, and without as much hoke as you'd expect. Side
one has Wynton working with regular pianist Marcus Roberts, plus Todd
Williams on tenor and soprano sax and Wes Anderson on alto – and side
two features a completely different group, much more in an older-styled
jazz vein – with Michael White on clarinet, Danny Barker on banjo, Teddy
Riley on trumpet, and Freddie Lonzo on trombone.
A fantastic album by The Dramatics – with a harder funkier sound than
you'll find on most of their other records of the time – a gritty gem
from the group's early years, and a record that really deserves its
placement on the Stax label! The record has the group moving into a
post-Temptations style of righteous soul – grooving hard with a really
heavy bottom on funky numbers like "Get Up and Get Down" and "Whatcha
See Is Whatcha Get", and even dropping a bit of a drug reference on the
cut "Marry Don't Cha Wanna" – one of those messed-up lyric numbers we'd
expect from a Latin Soul group! But the album's also got a sweet side
too – as it features the amazing ballad cut "In The Rain", which has
some of the most amazing production you'll ever find on the Stax label –
harmony work that rivals the greatness of the east coast scene of the
time.
Ένα απ τα χθεσινά diggin στο Patras Vinyllium 8ήταν αυτό το "ξεχασμένο" άλμπουμ του 1970 στην Λύρα. Γιάννης Πουλόπουλος, Μαρία Δουράκη, Γιάννης Θωμόπουλος – Μαρία (14 Τραγούδια). Ένα άλμπουμ "σκοτεινό" στιχουργικά, με τον Νίκο Λαυράνο στην ενορχήστρωση (με το ψευδώνυμο όμως Νίκος Σκέμπρης) και με μια μπάντα από πίσω να σπέρνει ανέμους και να θερίζει θύελλες. Hammond ,drum breaks, φλάουτα , μπασαδούρα που "πονάει" το γούφερ , wah wah , fuzz, τα χει όλα! Απ τις 8 το πρωί στο repeat και με rip 4 τραγούδια για download να στολίζουν το Spychedelic Sally.
Tony Joe White July 23, 1943 in Oak Grove, Louisiana and died October 24, 2018 in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee.
Tony Joe White,
aka the Swamp Fox, has been on a roll these past few years, issuing
album after self-released album of quality original material full of
deep, dark, blues-flavored Florida vintage roots music.Heroines
is no exception, but it is a record with a twist. First, it's on the
Sanctuary label. Secondly, five of the record's 12 tracks are recorded
with female vocalists in duet. They include the great Jessi Colter, Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Michelle White.
The set opens with "Gabriella," a brief, jazzy flamenco-kissed
instrumental, played on a pair of acoustic guitars. "Can't Go Back Home"
stars Lynne. A true laid-back Tony Joe nocturnal swamp blues, it nonetheless carries within it that slightly menacing tension. Lynne's
voice, which is well known for its power, showcases its other side
here, one that is expressive, soulful and sensual even on slow burn. White's vocal whispers its edgy truth, underscored by his signature guitar sound. "Closing in the Fire," with Williams,
is a steamy, R&B growler with horns. The riff is a mid-tempo
take-off from her own "Hot Blood," and this tune feels as if it is an
update of hers. "Playa del Carmen Night," with its Spanish folk
overtones, is a duet between White and his daughter Michelle. It's a whispering love ballad, one that shimmers with acoustic guitars and hand percussion. Michelle White,
a fine country and blues singer in her own right, brings the notion of
memory inherent in the song's body full-force to the front line. It's
bittersweet and beautiful. "Wild Wolf Calling Me" features Harris in fine voice at her country gospel best. White's baritone snakes around her plaintive wail and moan and brings a hint of the foreboding eternal to her testament. Colter
is a country music legend, and this track's the evidence as to why. Her
subdued, deeply expressive, reedy croon goes up against the fuzzed-up
blues guitars, while White's ominous baritone adds depth, and an otherworldly dimension, to his song. The rest of the cuts here, with White
taking the vocals on his own, are fine as well. They simmer, just below
the boiling point, touching on everything from backwoods life, love,
politics, and spirituality, to the chaos in a country where firearms do
more talking than at any time since the Old West, as in "Chaos Boogie." Tony Joe's
writing is flawless, his guitar playing is phenomenal; he gets more
creative, funky expression from his minimal, fluid approach than many
players who use a lot more notes. Heroines
is another winner in the Swamp Fox catalog that once more proves not
only is he a vital artist 35 years after his first big hit, but one
whose consistency is remarkable and unsullied.
