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
