Charles Earland - In The Pocket (1982) [re-rip]

The final in a long string of Muse albums stretching back to 1977, this is a fairly typical Charles Earland set. The organist, who is joined by tenorman Houston Person, guitarist Melvin Sparks and drummer Idris Muhammad, performs five group originals, and the music swings and grooves predictably but with spirit. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

Kicks ass! Like all of Earland's albums for Muse, this one's a deceptively simple record that you might pass up because of the date and the cover – but it's a full-fire burner that shows Earland playing better organ than he did for any other label after leaving Prestige. The tracks are long, with a very spare stripped down feel that lets Charlie go to town on the Hammond – and with backing by Houston Person, Melvin Sparks, and Idris Muhammad, he's in very nice company. © Dusty Groove America, Inc.

Earland has a sizable stack of albums to his credit, and they're taken many shapes. In the early 70's one was titled "Leaving This Planet", and the subsequent "Odyssey" suggests some further voyaging. More recently, Earland has placed his music in a "Jam" for another label. But "In The Pocket" - like other Muse LPs such as "Mama Roots" (MR 5156) and "Pleasant Afternoon" (MR 5201) - is about first impressions, the stuff that brought Earland into music in the first place, the sort of unpretentious cookery he handles so splendidly, the heart of his music. Those first impressions are the ones that last. ~ Neil Tesser, Liner Notes.

Muse Records, MR 5240, 1982

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Charles Earland - Organ

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone

Melvin Sparks - Guitar

Idris Muhammad - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Tackhead {Charles Earland} (9:46)

A2. In The Alley {Willis Jackson} (8:08)

B1. Grant's Groove {Melvin Sparks} (4:54)

B2. A Good Date {Charles Earland} (5:05)

B3. Ballad For Mom {Charles Earland} (6:52)

Credits:

Producer - Houston Person
Recording & Mastering Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Cover Photo - Hugh Bell
Art Direction - W. Dale Cramer
Liner Notes - Neil Tesser