JIMMY MC GRIFF - I'VE GOT A WOMAN (1962) VINYL 24~48 WAVE

1962
Sue 1012
My Vinyl Rip
DR Value 11
Front & Back Covers
WAVE 441mb

 McGriff's first album is great. The title cut was in the top 20 in 1962. Also on the same album is "M.G. Blues" and "All About My Girl." This session McGriff, Richard Easley on drums and Walter Miller on guitar. Hi-impact early McGriff is the still the best, and this is the album that started it all, on the Sue label.....AllMusic Review by Michael Erlewine

01 I've Got A Woman / 02 On The Street Where You Live / 03 Satin Doll / 04 'Round Midnight / 05 All About My Girl / 06 M.G. Blues / 07 That's The Way I Feel / 08 After Hours / 09 Flying Home / 10 Sermon

             

Ray Bryant - Slow Freight (1966) [re-rip]

A killer album by soul jazz pianist Ray Bryant! The title track, "Slow Freight", is an amazing 10 minute groover that moves at a very slow pace (just like a freight train), and which features some very cool ad-lib talking by Paul Serrano - a pretty groovy touch that really adds a lot to the track! Ray's piano is in the lead, with a sinister soulful groove – and he's backed by his patented two-trumpet rhythm sound, played here by Art Farmer and Snookie Young - blasting away with a tightly vamping approach that's really in the groove. The rest of the record's great too - and other tracks include "The Fox Stalker" and "Return Of The Prodigal Son". One of Ray's best ever! © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Ray Bryant always surrounds himself with pros; he's one and he wants nothing but the finest with him. The end product justifies the means. This is an excellent album. ~ Extract from Liner Notes by E. Herbert.

Cadet Records, LPS 781, 1967

Recorded 8th December, 1966 at RCA Studios in New York City

Personnel:

Ray Bryant - Piano

Art Farmer - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Snookie Young - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Richard Davis - Bass

Freddie Waits - Drums

Paul Serrano - Cool Talking (#A1)

Track Listing:

A1. Slow Freight {Ray Bryant, Esmond Edwards} (9:19)

A2. Amen {Traditional} (4:59)

A3. Satin Doll {Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhorn} (6:52)

B1. If You Go Away {Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen} (4:49)

B2. Ah, The Apple Tree {Johnny Mercer, M. Philippe-Gerard, Angele Vannier} (3:34)

B3. The Return Of The Prodigal Son {Harold Ousley} (5:04)

B4. The Fox Stalker {Ray Bryant} (3:35)

Credits:

Producer, Supervisor - Esmond Edwards

Recording Engineer - Ray Hall

Photography, Design - Esmond Edwards

Liner Notes - E. Herbert

Ray Bryant - Up Above The Rock (1968) [re-rip]

The drum break that opens the title track is absolutely killer. With all due respect to Mr. Bryant, drummer Grady Tate is truly the star of this show. Brilliant arranger Richard Evans recorded the drums so loudly; they almost occupy a whole speaker in stereo. Listen to the oddly hyperactive drumming on the nearly five-minute cover of "I Say a Little Prayer". Drums haven't been that aggressive on a Bacharach tune since Love's "My Little Red Book". The majority of the album is solid soul-jazz with the minor-keyed titled track being the clear standout, although similarly minor-keyed sleeper "Five, Six and Seven" is quite excellent as well. I never understand period liner notes on the backs of my records. Invariably, the author is completely oblivious to what the standout tracks are on the album. The author on the back of "Up Above the Rock" informs you that the cover of "Mrs. Robinson" will really blow your mind or some sort of nonsense. Really? Have you even listened to the title track? How do those drums not smack you in the face as soon as you start the record? ~ mag1c_hands

It seems like there’s been a lot of funky and soulful jazz stuff on Cadet around lately. This has been a longtime want as well. Of course, Up Above The Rock starts with some funky drumming by Grady Tate, but the whole song is just a jam even without that opening. Tate gets busy on here a couple of other times and I like the tone of his drums in the mix. Ron Carter can also be found on bass here. The record tends to be blues influenced up beat jazz like Quizas, Quizas, Quizas. Overall, this is a pretty nice jazz album. ~ Soulstrut

Cadet Records, LPS 818, 1968

Recorded September, 1968 at RCA Studios, New York City

Personnel:

Ray Bryant - Piano

Ron Carter - Bass

Grady Tate - Drums

Dobbie Hiques - Flugelhorn, Trumpet

Snookie Young - Flugelhorn, Trumpet (#A1,A3,A4,B3-B5)

Danny Moore - Flugelhorn, Trumpet (#A2,A5,B1,B2)

Track Listing:

A1. Up Above The Rock {Ray Bryant} (3:03)

A2. Dag Nab It {Buddy Johnson} (3:36)

A3. Quizas, Quizas, Quizas {Joe Davis, Osvaldo Farres} (3:21)

A4. If I Were A Carpenter {Tim Hardin} (2:51)

A5. Little Green Apples {Bobby Russell} (3:23)

B1. I Say A Little Prayer {Burt Bacharach, Hal David} (4:52)

B2. After Hours {Avery Parrish, Erskine Hawkins} (3:50)

B3. Where The Wind Blows {Bob James} (4:36)

B4. Five, Six And Seven {Ray Bryant} (3:23)

B5. Mrs. Robinson {Paul Simon} (2:56)

Credits:

Producer - Richard Evans

Supervision - Dick LaPalm

Arranger - Ray Bryant

Engineer - Ray Hall

Hadley Caliman - Hadley Caliman & Iapetus (Mainstream 318 & 342)

I can't recall ever seeing either of these albums in a lossless rip...somebody want to prove me wrong?

Hadley didn't get too many chances to record as a leader...these were the first two and they are hard to find. I have always liked these albums: it is the sound of KJAZ radio when I was a young man.

You will find a rather detailed bio of Hadley in the text doc in the first file.

Blue Mitchell - Many Shades Of Blue (1974) [Mainstream: vinyl 24/48]

I acquired a sealed copy of this, Mitchell's final recording for Mainstream. It finds him well advanced down the jazz-funk road, though it's good of its kind and there are still glimmers of Mitchell the trumpeter who graced those Riverside and Blue Note albums of the 50s and 60s.
With one glowing exception*, the remaining recordings, under his own name, for RCA and Impulse were to be even more faceless.

However I am well aware that many do not share my reservations of this genre and for those I'll leave the last word with Cheeba, who posted his mp3 vinyl rip over at his Soundalogical blog back back in 2009:

I'm the biggest sucker for Blue Mitchell's 70s Mainstream sides. They were a major component of my initiation into the realm of jazzfunk and the first three are etched in my mind forever so, thanks the psychological process of imprinting, his sides are among the sine qua non of the milieu for me.

As usual, Blue has a stellar line up behind him here since it seems Mitchell and Sarah Vaughan were the only artists on whom Shad actually spent proper money. The two are also tied as the most voluminously released artists on MRL (both providing 7 albums of new material for Shad in a few short years) so their stature, productivity and faithfulness were probably big factors in that equation. Not counting the split with Roy Haynes when Shad was in scavenger mode, this is the last LP Mitchell released on the label before it shuttered, after which he moved on to a series of labels.
Among these were RCA (Stratosonic Nuances, Funktion Junction) and ABC (African Violet, Summer Soft) where he would be slathered in strings and discofied to such a degree that on occasion he might as well have been just another one of the session musicians. Never again* would he regain the raw funkiness and full-on souljazz feeling that typifies his Mainstream output. Mitchell would die before he had a chance to do so, passing away prior to the end of the decade at the relatively early age of 49.

01 - Where It's At
02 - Harmony Of The Underworld
03 - Funky Walk
04 - Blue Funk
05 - Golden Feathered Bid
06 - Beens And Taters
07 - Funny Bone
08 - Hot Stuff

James Bossy, Jon Faddis, Irwin "Marky" Markowitz, Blue Mitchell (trumpet) Frank Vicari (tenor sax) Joe Farrell (tenor sax, flute) Seldon Powell (tenor, baritone sax) Joe Beck, Sam T. Brown, John Tropea (guitar) Wilbur Bascomb Jr., Michael Moore (Fender bass) James Madison (drums)
NYC, 1974

*[Cheeba was obviously unaware of his 1977 recording Stablemates]

Blue Mitchell - Vital Blue [new 24/48 vinyl rip]

This one is for grumpy....I find it a little curious that at the time I posted my first rip of this album it was nowhere to be found on the internet, but now it is offered in mp3 form in multiple places. Hmmm - Oh Well, here is a new and final rip in 24/48 flac, sampled down from the original 24/96 wave subsequent to cleaning through Isotope RX.
 
"One of the rarest Blue Mitchell albums for Mainstream – and one of the most beautiful! Unlike the other sessions, most of which are electric funk outings, this one has a more spiritual side, and the kind of soulful approach you'd expect from Strata East. The group features Ernie Watts on tenor, Joe Henderson on flute, and tenor, Walter Bishop on piano, and Susaye Greene singing wordless vocals on a few cuts. Highlights include the odd "Unseen Sounds", which has some great weird flute work from Henderson, plus "Booty Shakin", "Vital Blue", and "Herman's Helmet". Dusty Groove

Willis Jackson - Neapolitan Nights (1962) [vinyl]

Naples (or, if you will, Napoli) is one of the world's most scenic cities, and also the home of the pizza pie. Like all the great cities of Italy, it is full of music; among other accomplishments, Naples gave the world Enrico Caruso. Here it serves as the starting point of a musical tour of Italy, guided by the potent tenor saxophone of Willis Jackson at the helm of a swinging rhythm-section. Some of the tunes are old, others are new, and one (Verdi's Vonce) is the blues - though not very blue. All are melodic and have that special romantic flavor long associated with the popular songs of the homeland of grand opera and bel canto. Willis Jackson handles this material with appropriate gusto and warmth. His big, ripe tone is admirably suited to bring out the flavor of a singable melody, and his jazz conception and innate swing stand him in good stead where the avoidance of excessive sentimentality and bathos is concerned. This is not a schmaltzy album, though Mama - one of the best-loved tearjerkers in the Mediterranean repertoire - is handled with the proper traditional feeling. ~ Excerpt from the Liner Notes by Dan Morgenstern

On this album Jackson is joined with a number of other heavyweights. Gildo Mahones for one sets up some wonderful backing including space to showcase some brilliant piano solos. Equally, Bucky Pizzarelli lays down some marvellous sections of guitar. In essence the rest of the group also command much praise, bassist George Tucker holds things together while drummer Bobby Donaldson and conga expert Montego Joe add their special touches to this broad selection of Italian derived tunes. I have to admit whilst perfecting this rip from a very old well-loved vinyl I have grown much love for this LP. Hopefully you too can share in my delight of this relatively hard to find side from the "Gator".

Prestige Records, PR 7264, 1963

Recorded 19^th December, 1962 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Willis Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Gildo Mahones - Piano

Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar

George Tucker - Bass

Bobby Donaldson - Drums

Montego Joe - Congas

Tracks:

A1. Neapolitan Nights {Traditional} (6:58)

A2. Arrivederci Roma {Renato Rascel, Pietro Garinei, Sandro Giovannini} (5:42)

A3. Mama {Cesare Andrea Bixio} (5:14)

B1. Volare {Franco Migliacci, Domenico Modugno} (5:32)

B2. Al Di Là {Carlo Donida, Mogol} (4:38)

B3. Verdi's Vonce {Willis "Gator" Jackson} (7:05)

Credits:

Producer - Ozzie Cadena

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Dan Morgenstern

Jimmy Raney - Two Jims and Zoot (Mainstream 6013)

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

The slightly unusual date Two Jims and a Zoot features tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims interacting with two guitarists (Jimmy Raney and Jim Hall) while given subtle support by bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Osie Johnson. Although the eight selections (none of which caught on as standards) had all been written recently and sometimes display the influence of bossa nova, the quiet performances could pass for 1954 rather than 1964. The cool-toned improvisations and boppish playing have a timeless quality about them although for the time period aspects of this music already sounded a bit old-fashioned.