Vic Juris - Roadsong (1978) [vinyl>flac]

Here's another bit of Muse Magic!

A great album by 24-year old guitarist Vic Juris which was released on Muse Records in 1978, his first as a leader, players are Barry Miles on keyboards, Terry Silverlight on drums, Rick Laird and John Burr on bass and Richie Cole on alto saxophone. Six of the eight selections are Juris originals (the other two songs include Wes Montgomery's "Road Song" and drummer Terry Silverlight's "Vic's Theme". Richie Cole plays on two tracks and John Burr on bass substitutes Laird on another. The album was produced by Richie Cole and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder. This rip is from an LP as this album is yet to be reissued on CD.

Another of my favourite guitarists, the Canadian Vic Juris; this disc, 1978 brings Vic in his (awesome) early years, a musician of a melodic talent and virtuosity that still scares me. Much influence of bop but still contains the fusion typical seventies innovations (at a time when the Pat Metheny still playing timidly in his Metheny Group). There's nothing to discuss: Stunning an Animator! Production is Richie Cole and the mix of the magician Rudy van Gelder (which pros uninitiated was the guy behind several of the most classic jazz recordings). Along with Vic are Barry Miles, Richard and Rick Laird Silverlight and Richie Cole. ~ A Minha Confusão...

“Roadsong” touches several basses, but it's hardly an exercise in untrammelled eclecticism; the sure, clear direction that Vic Juris exercises on each tune insures that. It also ties the album together with a sense of completeness that many established musicians strive for in vain. There are some who may find that a preternatural quality for a 24-year old guitarist that they've never heard of, but, as your ears will prove, it's anything but science fiction. In fact, don't be all that surprised if the next generation's guitar corps features a few clones of Vic Juris himself. ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Neil Tesser.

Muse Records, MR 5150, 1978

Recorded 19^th & 21^st September, 1977 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Vic Juris - Guitar

Richie Cole - Alto Saxophone (#B1,B4)

Barry Miles - Keyboards

Rick Laird - Bass

John Burr - Bass (#A3)

Terry Silverlight - Drums

Track Listing:

A1. Roadsong {Wes Montgomery} (5:46)

A2. Portabelo Market {Vic Juris} (7:21)

A3. Leah {Vic Juris} (4:46)

A4. Vic's Theme {Terry Silverlight} (3:17)

B1. In Between {Vic Juris} (4:00)

B2. One For Sonny {Vic Juris} (4:48)

B3. Free Bird {Vic Juris} (4:54)

B4. Two Lovely People {Vic Juris} (5:27)

Credits:

Producer - Richie Cole

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Art Direction and Photography - Carol Friedman

Liner Notes - Neil Turner

Urbie Green - The Fox (1976) [vinyl>flac]

Smooth and silky jazz funk from trombonist Urbie Green - a record that's much more in a mainstream R&B fusion mode than his earlier work - yet also arranged by David Matthews in a soulful style that still keeps things pretty real on the best cuts! The group's a good one for the mellow groove of the material - and includes Mike Mainieri on keyboards, Eric Gale on guitar, Jeremy Steig on flute, and Toots Thielemans laying down a bit of harmonica - all kicking back in classic 70s CTI styles. Titles include the nice modal groover "Mertensia", plus "Manteca", "Foxglove Suite", "Another Star", and "Goodbye". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

CTI Records, CTI 7070, 1977

Recorded July, Oct. & Nov., 1976 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Urbie Green - Trombone

Fred Gripper - Piano (#A3,B2-B3)

Mike Abene - Piano (#A2)

Mike Mainieri - Vibraphone (#A2,A4,B2)

Barry Miles - Synthesizer (#A1,B1)

Jeremy Steig - Flute (#A1,B1)

Joe Farrell - Soprano Saxophone (#A3)

Eric Gale - Guitar (#A3,B2-B3)

Toots Thielemans - Harmonica (#A2,A4,B3), Whistle (#A2,A4)

George Mraz - Acoustic Bass (#A1,B1)

Anthony Jackson - Electric Bass (#A1,A3-A4,B2-B3)

Jimmy Madison - Drums (#A1,B1)

Andy Newmark - Drums (#A3,B2-B3)

Sue Evans - Percussion (#A1,B1)

Nicky Marrero - Percussion (#A2,A4)

David Matthews - Percussion [Footsteps] (#A4)

Track Listing:

A1. Another Star {Stevie Wonder} (7:14)

A2. Goodbye {Gordon Jenkins} (2:57)

A3. Mertensia {David Matthews} (4:57)

A4. You Don’t Know What Love Is {Don Raye, Gene De Paul} (3:52)

B1. Manteca {Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Fuller, Luciano Gonzales} (6:32)

B2. Foxglove Suite [From Tristan And Isolde] {Richard Wagner} (7:25)

B3. Please Send Me Someone To Love {Percy Mayfield} (5:32)

Credits:

Producer - Creed Taylor

Arranger - David Matthews

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Design [Album] - Rene Schumacher

Photography [Cover & Liner] - White Gate

Eric Kloss and Barry Miles - Together

Well the clothes pretty much tell us when this one is from, eh? I sheepishly admit I had a shirt very much like that one Barry is wearing and I think my grandmother sent me a pair of those pants and that belt Eric is wearing when I first got out of college and started work. (ten to one the shoes match that belt!) Mine were powder blue and had an awful jacket, at least I can say I only wore them once for a Halloween get up. I'm betting Barry is wearing Earth Shoes or something similar.

Eric Kloss and Barry Miles - Together
Muse 5112, 1976

1. Relay
2. The Wise Woman
3. Together
4. Song for a Mountain
5. The Goddess, the Gypsy, the Light
6. Opus de Mulier
……
Eric Kloss: Alto saxophone+, Tenor saxophone
Barry Miles: Piano*, Electric piano**, Synthesizer

Recorded July 19 & 20, 1976
CI Recording, New York City

If the previous post was a little too deep into the Fusion groove for you then perhaps this one will sit better with you. All original duets and extremely pretty stuff. This one required a little more cleaning attention than the others but the results sound pretty good to me.

Eric Kloss - Bodies' Warmth

Eric Kloss - Bodies' Warmth
Muse 5077, 1975

1 Lady
2 Joni
3 Bodies' Warmth
4 Scarborough Fair
5 Mystique
6 Headin' Out

Eric Kloss - Sax ; Barry Miles - Keyboards; Vic Juris - Guitar; Harvie Swartz - Bass; Terry Silverlight - Drums

I can remember a time in my life when I though this was the hippest music I had ever heard. What a difference..... The album is still quite good (dare I use the phrase 'a seminal work of fusion?) but I have to admit it sounds dated at times and I always liked Barry Miles acoustic piano best even though he was one of the most interesting electric keyboard players ever.

This album should probably be titled 'Prodigies' as three quarters of the band were indeed prodigies in every sense of the word. Barry Miles was playing professional gigs with established stars like Woody Herman at 9 years old! He was a drummer then and still used his family name Silverlight (why in the world would you change THAT?) but later morphed into a pianist with blinding chops. His little brother Terry (some 15 years his junior if I remember right) took over the drumming in the family and he was a recorded pro at 12. Eric Kloss took until the ancient age of 15 or 16 to sign his first Prestige contract but he had been gigging professionally since 12 when he took the stage with Sonny Stitt! Miles may well have been the guy who first coined the term Fusion; he was composing, playing and writing about it at Princeton in 1964! Kind of puts him way up at the front of the curve ehh?

A little dated in places to be sure and why in the world they ever decided to play Scarborough Fair will be for others to figure out - surely there was SOME better Pop vehicle for sales. This was a frequent working band for Eric, unlike the other configurations featured on his Muse dates.