Billy Butler - Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (1970) [re-rip]

Billy Butler is well known to guitarists only, as the co-author of the early R&B funked-up standard "Honky Tonk," with organist Bill Doggett. But the almighty groove wasn't Butler's only strength. With a saxophonist like Houston Person, he could play the most elegant swing - as in their read of the Rodgers & Hart classic "Dancing on the Ceiling" The wildest tune on the Person sessions is Neil Hefti and Bobby Troup's "Girl Talk." Before this I could never have imagined hearing this tune as an instrumental, but it works like grease on a bicycle chain with Butler punching up the melody and bending his strings all over it to make the language impenetrable to all but his rhythm section, and Person who flies over the top making the simple pop song into a work of groove jazz artistry. This album is a welcome introduction to one of the great, all-but-lost talents in jazz history. Billy Butler was a guitarist's guitarist and an innovator in both production and arrangements. This album is solid from top to bottom and reveals the restless spirit of a quiet yet demanding artist. ~ extracts taken from review by Thom Jurek, AMG.

This album is a continuation of display of ability and versatility presented in his first Prestige albums: This is Billy Butler! (Prestige 7622) and Guitar Soul! (Prestige 7734). This goes a bit further than the others in that it presents some music written and arranged by Billy for a guitar choir as well as some cooking things and standards he is known for. Most of the album reunites Billy with Ernie Hayes and Houston Person who were a part of his debut album for Prestige. Jimmy Lewis is no stranger to Billy since they worked together with King Curtis for some time. I think that once you have listened to the latest effort of Billy Butler you'll agree that it is every bit as good as his other two albums. If you are unfamiliar with him up to this point, welcome aboard! ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Sonny Mann.

Prestige Records, PRST 7797, 1970

Recorded 27th April (#B2,B3) & 29th June (#A1-B1,B4), 1970 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Billy Butler - Guitar, Bass Guitar

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone (#A1-B1,B4)

Jerome Richardson - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (#B2,B3)

Ernie Hayes - Organ, Electric Piano (#A1-B1,B4)

Sonny Phillips - Organ, Electric Piano (#B2,B3)

Everett Barksdale - Guitar (#B2,B3)

Billy Suyker - Guitar (#B2,B3)

Jimmy Lewis - Electric Bass (#A1-B1,B4)

Chuck Rainey - Electric Bass (#B2,B3)

Jimmy Johnson - Drums

Track Listing:

A1. Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow {Billy Butler} (5:12)

A2. Girl Talk {Bobby Troup, Neal Hefti} (4:56)

A3. Dancing On The Ceiling {Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers} (5:43)

B1. Hold It! {Billy Butler, Clifford Scott} (3:51)

B2. Evening Dreams {Billy Butler} (4:10)

B3. The Butler Did It {Billy Butler} (3:47)

B4. Sweet Georgia Brown {Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey, Maceo Pinkard} (4:49)

Credits:

Supervision - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Photo - Al Johnson
Design - Don Schlitten

Liner Notes - Sonny Mann, WFAS Radio, White Plains, N.Y. (Sept. 1970)