Joe Sample - The Hunter (1983)

Joe Sample returns to the smooth jazz style of his popular albums Rainbow Seeker, Carmel, and Voices in the Rain on 1983's The Hunter. The keyboardist fills up a studio with like-minded session musicians including trumpeter Tom Browne, horn players Chuck Findley, Jerry Hey, and Ernie Watts, guitarists Dean Parks, David Spinozza, and Phil Upchurch, bassists Abraham Laboriel and Marcus Miller, percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, and drummer Steve Gadd, and sets them loose on some rhythmic tracks with a rock/R&B feel. The beat is paramount, a constant augmented by funky, popping basslines, with guitar solos and horn charts overlaid. And, weaving in and out is Sample, on either acoustic or electric piano, finding room to solo extensively. The solos are more of the rock variety than what a conventional jazz fan would recognize, since they are anchored to the relentless beats. But Sample is one of the more accomplished players in smooth jazz, and his sidemen are able to support him and, when given the chance, match him in their playing. ~ by William Ruhlmann, AMG. 

MCA Records, MCAD-1471, 1983
Recorded at Sound Recorders, Hollywood and Salty Dog Studios, L.A., CA;
Except ‘The Hunter’ at A & R Studios, New York, N.Y. 

Musicians:
Joe Sample - Keyboards [Acoustic], Electric Piano, Synthesizer
Tom Browne - Trumpet [Lead], Soloist (#1)
Bill Reichenbach, Chuck Findley, Dick Hyde, Ernie Watts,
Jerry Hey, Larry Williams, Steve Madaio - Horns (#1,3-6)
John Phillips - Woodwinds (#2), Bass Clarinet, Soloist (#6)
Rory Kaplan - Programming [Synthesizers]
Galen Senogles - Synthesizer [Overdubs]
David Spinozza - Guitar (#1)
Phil Upchurch - Guitar, Soloist (#3)
Dean Parks - Guitar (#2-4,6), Soloist (#5), Rhythm Guitar (#5)
Marcus Miller - Bass (#1)
Abraham Laboriel - Bass (#2-6)
Steve Gadd - Drums (#1)
Bob Wilson - Drums (#2-6)
Paulinho da Costa - Percussion

Tracks:
1. The Hunter (5:48)
2. Blue Ballet (4:09)
3. Beauty And The Beast (6:29)
4. Wings Of Fire (5:25)
5. Just A Little Higher (5:32)
6. Night Flight (9:00) 

All compositions by Joe Sample 

Total Time: 36:26 

Credits:
Producer - Joe Sample, Wilton Felder
Executive Assistant - Tom Hooper
Recording Engineer - Jim Boyer (#1)
Recording & Mixing (#2) Engineer - Rik Pekkonen
Mixing - Galen Senogles, Wilton Felder (#1,3-6)
Mastering Engineer - Bernie Grundman [A&M Studios]
Coordinator - Pamela H. Lobue, Robin Howell
Art Direction - George Osaki
Painting [Cover] - Laddia Holly 

The Hunter

Ernie Watts - Sanctuary (1986)

This Qwest project was a typical crossover project for Ernie Watts, who recorded a series of commercial sets for Elektra and Qwest. The rhythms are danceable; Watts displays attractive tones on tenor, alto, and soprano; the supporting cast includes top L.A. studio musicians; Don Grusin contributes keyboards and electronic rhythms; among the many vocalists are Larry Williams and Phil Perry; and guitarist Lee Ritenour pops up on a few numbers. Ernie Watts would soon start recording more creative jazz and start to realize his potential, which is largely wasted on this effort. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

 

Qwest Records, 9 25513-1, 1986
Recorded at Monterey Sound Studios, Glendale, California;
and Additional at Starlight Studio, Malibu, California. 

Musicians:
Ernie Watts - Alto (#A1,A3,B1,B3), Soprano (#A2,B1), Tenor (#A2,A4,B2,B4)
Larry Williams - Synth Voice (#A1), Funny Horns (#A2), Horse Hoofs (#A3),
Synth Horn (#B1), Synth Strings (#B4), Vocals [Background]
Don Grusin - Keyboards, Drum & Synthesizer Programming, Vocal Arranger
Lee Ritenour - Guitar (#A1,A3,B2)
Carlos Rios - Guitar (#A2,B3)
Abraham Laboriel, Sr. - Bass (#A4,B2)
Nathan East - Bass (#B1)
John Robinson - Drums (#A1-A3,B3)
Carlos Vega - Drums (#A4,B1)
Paulinho da Costa - Percussion (#A1,A2,B2)
Alex Acuña - Drums (#B2), Percussion (#B2,B4)
Phil Perry - Vocals (#A2,A4,B3), Background Vocals (#A1), Arranger [Vocals]
Kevin Dorsey, Aladrain Elmore, Roy Galloway, Siedah Garrett, Kate Markowitz,
Lillain Tynes Perry, Darryl Phinnessee, Oren Waters - Background Vocals 

Tracks:
A1. Taj {Don Grusin} (4:11)
A2. She Feels Good {Don Grusin} (3:53)
A3. Cowboy Dreams {Don Grusin} (4:22)
A4. Homeland {Phil Perry, Don Grusin} (4:55)
B1. Chinook {Don Grusin} (5:30)
B2. Sanctuary {Ernie Watts} (5:20)
B3. City Speak {Don Grusin} (4:18)
B4. The Peace Offering {Ernie Watts} (3:22) 

Total Time: 35:51 

Credits:
Producer - Ernie Watts
Producer, Mixing [Digital], Arranger - Don Grusin
Executive-Producer - Quincy Jones
Recording Engineer, Mixing [Digital] - Geoff Gillette
Additional Engineering - Don Murray
Assistant Engineer, Digital Mixing - Stan Katayama
Assistant Engineer - Terry Bower
Mastering - Wally Traugott
Art Direction, Design - Gabrielle Raumberger 

"Deep within our souls is a place of peace and love,
where there is no hate, no war, no competition.
This is our true homeland - our sanctuary of the heart."

Gap Mangione - Suite Lady (1978)

An Utter Classic
=============
Yet hardly known to those who weren't fortunate enough to have run across it back in the late seventies when the smooth jazz genre was in its ascendancy, though this isn't really smooth jazz as we've come to know it ~ it's rather fresher and funkier. Produced, recorded and even mixed by Larry Carlton at his own Room 335 studio in Hollywood, this is, for me, the pinnacle of Gap Mangione's musical career. And it's certainly not a Larry Carlton album with somebody else's name stuck on the cover, you may be pleased to learn. In addition to Mr. Mangione on a variety of keyboards (acoustic piano, ARP & Yamaha CS80 synthesizers & Fender Rhodes electric piano), we find Robert "Pops" Popwell (one of Larry Carlton's old pals from his days with the Crusaders), Mike Porcaro & Abe Laboriel (bass), (the now sadly late) Jeff Porcaro, Ralph Humphrey (later of Free Flight) & Peter Donald (drums & percussion), Joe Porcaro (congas & percussion), Greg Mathieson (acoustic and Fender Rhodes electric piano) and Dan Sawyer (sax & harmonica), plus strings and brass on selected tracks. Oh yes, Larry Carlton, as you might expect, played all the guitars. Mastering was undertaken by Bernie Grundman at A&M studios (and, coincidentally, A&M is the label on which this was issued). It's a touch on the bright side, but not disastrously so, and that touch of brightness is what's helped this album maintain its power and freshness after all these years. The opening track is unashamedly disco-ish (written, as it happens, by Larry Carlton) but, after that, the album settles down into a decidedly more sophisticated mood, not least the superbly bluesy Shh and King Snake, the latter followed by the superb title track which features a long-ish brass intro (trumpets, trombone and French horn) on which, with a good sound system, you can almost see each of the players standing side by side. You can certainly hear each of them breathing. This is a great album and I sincerely hope it won't be too much longer before it's reissued on CD. Though it's always difficult (I find) to get into an album several decades after its original release, Suite Lady might just be an exception to that general rule, whilst if you were there at the time, as they say, and like this particular genre of music, it might just be an indispensable memento of 1978 when the UK music scene was still pretty dire and people like me were looking across the pond for more inspiring fare. Still and always, one of my top ten albums. ~ Julian Stevens, Amazon.com. 

A&M Records, SP-4694, 1978
Recorded and mixed at Room 335, Hollywood, California

Musicians:
Gap Mangione - Synthesizer [ARP] (#A1,A4), Piano (#A2,A3,B1-B3), Fender Rhodes (#A2), Synthesizer [Yamaha C S 80] (#B1), Arranger [Brass] (#B1,B3,B4)
Chuck Findley - Trumpet (#A1,A2,B1-B4)
Bill Reichenbach, Jr. - Trombone (#A1,A2,B1-B4)
Vincent De Rosa - French Horn (#B3,B4)
Dan Sawyer - Tenor Saxophone, Harmonica (#A4)
Greg Mathieson - Piano [Acoustic] (#A1,A4), Fender Rhodes (#B2)
Larry Carlton - Guitar (#A1-A4), Arranger [Brass] (#A1,A2,B1,B2), [Strings] (#A3,B2)
Robert "Pops" Popwell - Bass (#A1,A2,B1)
Abraham Laboriel - Bass (#A3,B3)
Mike Porcaro - Bass (#B2)
Jeff Porcaro - Drums (#A1,A2,A4,B1,B2), Percussion (#A1,A2)
Peter Donald - Drums (#A3,B3)
Ralph Humphrey - Drums [Opening Statement Only] (#B1)
Joe Porcaro - Congas (#A1,A2,A4,B1), Percussion (#A1,A2,B1,B2)
Gerald Vinci - Concertmaster (#A2,A3,B2) 

Tracks:
A1. Mellow Out! {Greg Mathieson} (5:36)
A2. I Don't Know {Larry Carlton} (4:05)
A3. Shh {Greg Mathieson} (5:54)
A4. You Can't Cry For Help {Paul Bogush, Jr.} (3:32)
B1. Sister Jo {Gap Mangione} / Time Of The Season [Medley] {Rod Argent} (5:24)
B2. King Snake {Larry Carlton} (6:32)
B3. Suite Lady {Gap Mangione} (6:18)
B4. We Three [Scherzando] {Gap Mangione} (2:28) 

Total Time: 39:49 

Credits:
Producer, Recording, Mixing - Larry Carlton
Engineer [Second] - Steve Carlton
Engineer [Strings] - John Guess
Mastering - Bernie Grundman [A&M Studios]
Coordinator [Strings] - Gerald Vinci
Photography - Mark Hanauer, Raul Vega
Art Direction - Roland Young
Design - Phil Shima
Management - Richard Burkhart 

Suite Lady

Randy Crawford - Secret Combination (1981)

It is little wonder that Secret Combination remains Randy Crawford's most successful album in the UK. It is a superb collection of well-chosen material, expertly played by the cream of L.A session players and sung with great conviction. Macon, Georgia-born Crawford had first risen to prominence in the UK as the featured vocalist on the Crusaders' Street Life in 1979, and enjoyed her first solo hit the following year with One Day I'll Fly Away. Secret Combination, released in May 1981, was the album that capitalised on this success. Although Crawford had previously been an earthy jazz singer, Secret Combination barely breaks a sweat. Produced by Tommy LiPuma (the man responsible for turning George Benson from a jazzer into a commercial superstar) and it is consistently pleasant, radio-friendly pop-soul. What bite there is can be found on lead single You Might Need Somebody, a Hollywood-softened dirty blues and the album's closer, Trade Winds. Crawford imbues everything with a honeyed experience - none more so than on the title track where her quiet steadfastness retains the love of the song’s hero. Secret Combination’s covers excel: Crawford's version of Tony Joe White's A Rainy Night In Georgia may lack the despair of Brook Benton's famous reading, but sweetens the longing. That's How Heartaches Are Made (made famous by 'Baby' Washington/the Marvelettes) makes the song's desperation almost playful. In 1981, Secret Combination seemed to be everywhere. It spent 60 weeks on the UK charts and reached No. 2. And in 1982, she won the Best Female Artist award at the Brits on the strength of this record. It remains a delightful time-capsule, perfect for sunny Sunday mornings. ~ Daryl Easlea, 2009, BBC Review. 

Warner Bros., 7599-23541-2, 1990?
Recorded and Mixed at Sound Labs and Capitol Recording, Hollywood 

Personnel:
Randy Crawford - Vocals
Ernie Watts - Flute, Solo (#B1)
Chuck Findley - Horn
Gary Herbig - Horn
Larry Williams - Horn
Bill Reichenbach Jr. - Horn
Jim Horn - Horn
Leon Pendarvis - Piano, Keyboards, Arranger [Rhythm]
Neil Larsen - Organ (#A2,B3,B5), Keyboards
Dean Parks - Guitar
Robben Ford - Guitar, Guitar [Electric] (#A4)
Steve Lukather - Guitar
Abraham Laboriel, Sr. - Bass
Jeff Porcaro - Drums
Lenny Castro - Percussion
Marti McCall - Vocals [Background]
Petsye Powell - Vocals [Background]
Alfie Silas - Vocals [Background]
Phyllis Saint James - Vocals [Background]
=============================================
Arranger [Strings] - Nick DeCaro (#A1,A3,A4,B1,B2,B4,B5)
Bill Reichenbach - Arranger [Horns] (#A1,B3)
Dale Oehler - Arranger [Strings] (#A2,A5)
Arranger [Horns] - Larry Williams (#B3) 

Tracks:
A1. You Might Need Somebody {Tom Snow, Nan O'Byrne} (4:19)
A2. Rainy Night In Georgia {Tony Joe White} (4:22)
A3. That's How Heartaches Are Made {Ben Raleigh, Bob Halley} (2:57)
A4. Two Lives {Mark Jordan} (3:47)
A5. You Bring The Sun Out {Tom Snow, Jesse Dixon} (3:23)
B1. Rio De Janeiro Blue {Richard Torrance, John Haeny} (4:18)
B2. Secret Combination {Tom Snow, Frannie Golde}  (3:24)
B3. When I Lose My Way {Turley Richards} (3:44)
B4. Time For Love {Leon Russell} (4:15)
B5. Trade Winds {Ralph MacDonald, William Salter} (4:55) 

Total Time: 39:28 

Credits:
Producer - Tommy LiPuma
Recording & Mixing - Al Schmitt
Assistant Engineer - Stewart Whitmore, Don Henderson
Production Coordination - Noel Newbolt
Original Mastering - Mike Reese
CD Remastering - Lee Herschberg
Art Direction - Richard Seireeni
Photography - Phillip Dixon 

Secret Combination on Two Ronnies Show

Randy Crawford - Now We May Begin (1980)

The Crusaders produced this '80 album, one of the better Randy Crawford sets. The song "Last Night At Danceland" was a hit, while the album cut "One Day I'll Fly Away" got widespread radio airplay and did well in the international market. Crawford's quivering delivery and eclectic nature has made it difficult for record companies to target and market her material; this was one of the few times she penetrated the urban contemporary and R&B markets. ~ by Ron Wynn, AMG. 

Warner Brothers Records, 7599-23421-2, 1991
Recorded at Hollywood Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, CA;
Wizard Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California 

Musicians:
Randy Crawford - Vocals
Joe Sample - Keyboards, Arranger [Strings]
Oscar Brashear - Trumpet (#3)
Dean Parks, Roland Bautista, Tim May - Guitar
David T. Walker - Guitar (#2)
Wilton Felder - Bass, Tenor Saxophone (#7)
Abraham Laboriel - Bass
Stix Hooper, Mike Baird - Drums
Eddie Brown, Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
Gwen Owens, Julia Tillman, Maxine Willard, Melvin Franklin - Backing Vocals 

Tracks:
1. Last Night At Danceland {Joe Sample, Will Jennings} (4:57)
2. Tender Falls The Rain {Randy Crawford} (4:11)
3. My Heart Is Not As Young As It Used To Be {Joe Sample, Will Jennings} (3:54)
4. Now We May Begin {Joe Sample} (4:56)
5. Blue Flame {Joe Sample, Will Jennings} (6:28)
6. One Day I'll Fly Away {Joe Sample, Will Jennings} (5:02)
7. Same Old Story (Same Old Song] {Joe Sample, Will Jennings} (4:08)
8. When Your Life Was Low {Joe Sample, Will Jennings} (3:20) 

Total Time: 36:59 

Credits:
Producer - Stix Hooper, Joe Sample, Wilton Felder [Crusaders Records Productions Inc.]
Engineer - Jeremy Smith
Engineer [Assistant] - Bill Koepnick, Hill Brin Swimmer
Mixing - Howard Siegel, Rick Ruggieri, Bob Margouleff
Mastering - Bernie Grundman
Production Coordinator - Pamela Hope Lobue
Special Equipment Coordinator - Michael Lovelady
Photography - Norman Seeff
Art Direction - Richard Seireeni 

One Day I'll Fly Away

David "Fathead" Newman - Concrete Jungle (1978) [vinyl]

David "Fathead" Newman has appeared through the years in both straight-ahead and commercial settings. This LP leans towards latter category; Newman here is and was a versatile performer and, on this album, he divides his time almost equally between alto, soprano, tenor and flute showcasing his ability to produce some wonderful Soul/Jazz-Funk. On this date he is accompanied by an electrified rhythm section that includes Pat Rebillot on keyboards and guitarist Jay Graydon backed by a string orchestra arranged by William Fischer. Included in the assemble are other players such as Jimmy Owens, Earl McIntyre, Babe Clarke, Clarence Thomas, Kenneth Harris and Kermit Moore. The tunes include McCoy Tyner's "Blues For Ball", Buddy Johnson "Save Your Love For Me", Stevie Wonder’s "Knocks Me Off My Feet", Bob Marley's "Concrete Jungle" and Marvin Gaye's "Distant Lover" and one of his own "Sun Seeds." Fischer’s arrangements truly compliment this material which can be criticised as being a bit dated, but David's skills are a truly masterful example of this late great player, Enjoy!

Prestige Records, P-10104, 1978

Recorded November, 1977 At Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA & New York City

Musicians:

David "Fathead" Newman - Flute, Soprano, Alto and Tenor Saxophones

Pat Rebillot - Keyboards

Jay Graydon - Electric Guitar

Abraham LaBoriel - Electric Bass

Idris Muhammad - Drums

Bill Summers - Congas, Percussion

Tracks:

A1. Knocks Me Off My Feet {Stevie Wonder} (3:58)

A2. Save Your Love For Me {Buddy Johnson} (5:20)

A3. Blues For Ball {McCoy Tyner} (4:22)

A4. Dance Of The Honey Bee And The Funky Fly {William Fischer} (6:17)

B1. Concrete Jungle {Bob Marley} (7:25)

B2. Sun Seeds {David Newman} (5:17)

B3. Distant Lover {Fuqua, Gaye, Greene} (7:25)

Total Time: 40:04

Credits:

Producer - Orrin Keepnews, William Fischer

Arranger, Conductor - William Fischer

Engineer [Basic Recording], Remix - Eddie Bill Harris

Engineer [Assistant] - Wally Buck

Engineer [Additional Recording-Strings] - Vince McGarry

Mastering Engineer - John Golden

Art Direction - Phil Carroll

Cover Art - Dennis Gassner, Roberto Morrison

Photography - Phil Bray

Note:

See Track [Personnel].txt for more player details.