Charles Fambrough - Upright Citizen (1997)

The heart of a jazz fan beats like Fambrough's bass, driving the lifeblood of warm sounds through the speakers and into the brain. Some bassists, in their own sessions, favor percussive and percolating arrangements that place the instrument in the role of soloist. Charles Fambrough actually seems to downplay the bass on Upright Citizen, ceding the spotlight to guests like Grover Washington, Jr. and Joe Ford. Fambrough's domain here is the rhythm section, adding programmed drums to his basslines in order to get the right foundation in place. As the captain of this ship, Fambrough ensures a smooth ride, absorbing the shock in Alex Bugnon's potentially bumpy "In Stride" and making sure a track like "D's Song" has the right amount of snap to it. Though Fambrough built his reputation largely on bop, Upright Citizen is more of a crossover album, lyrical and light on its feet. There are certainly stretches of substance, such as George Duke's piano solo on "It's Not Easy Havin' Fun," but even here the soprano sax washes away the intellectualism in a simple, cleansing motion. This session doesn't completely qualify as smooth jazz; there's more afoot than sweet sounds and mildly funky rhythms, yet even the most complex passages are never far removed from an ingratiating and warmly rendered melody. If you enjoy the sound of the soprano sax but find Kenny G a little light for your tastes, Upright Citizen might be right for you. The disc was reissued by Random Chance in 2002, with a different cover and slightly scrambled track order that essentially flip-flopped the opening and closing songs, among other things. The original 1997 Nu Groove recording is rich, vibrant, and clean, so you can't go wrong with either copy. ~ by Dave Connolly.

NuGroove Records, NUG-3003, 1997

Random Chance Records, RCD-7, 2002

Musicians:

Charles Fambrough - Bass (#1,2-4,6-9), Keyboards (#1), Programmed Drums (#3,4,7,8)

John Swana - Trumpet (#1), Muted Trumpet (#6,8), EUI (#6,7)

Gerald Albright - Alto Saxophone (#6)

Joe Ford - Soprano Saxophone (#1-3,5,7,8)

Grover Washington Jr. - Soprano Saxophone (#4,9)

Alex Bugnon - Piano (#1,5), Keyboards (#1,5,8)

Bruce Barth - Piano (#2), Keyboards (#2)

Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#3), Keyboards (#3,4)

George Duke - Piano [Solo] (#4), Keyboards (#4,6)

Rich Budesa - Piano [Solo] (#8)

Bill O'Connell - Piano (#9)

Nick Sistrun - Guitar (#1)

Gerald Brown - Drums (#2,9)

N'Dugu Chancelor - Drums (#4,6)

Pete Vinson - Drums, Poogie Bell-Trumpet, Programmed Drums (#5)

Marlon Simon - Percussion (#1,9)

Edson D'Silva (cafe) - Percussion (#2,9)

Munyungo Jackson - Percussion (#1,6)

Jon Lucien - Vocals (#2)

Tracks:

1. Fun City {Charles Fambrough} (4:25)

2. Bright Eyes {Charles Fambrough} (7:40)

3. D's Song {Charles Fambrough} (5:04)

4. It's Not Easy Having Fun {Charles Fambrough} (5:43)

5. In Stride {Alex Bugnon} (5:01)

6. Disguises {John Swana, Charles Fambrough} (7:59)

7. Dina {Charles Fambrough} (5:09)

8. Down The Way {Charles Fambrough} (4:17)

9. Main Street {Bill O'Connell} (4:00)

Total Time: 46:18

Credits:

Producer - Charles Fambrough, Stuart Alan Love

Executive Producer - David Chackler

Melvin Sparks - Spark Plug (1971)

Spark Plug is the 2^nd album by Melvin Sparks recorded for Prestige in 1971

Massive funkiness! This album ranks as one of the best from the early 70's period at Prestige, and it features a crack group of young heavy hitters like Sparks on guitar, Leon Spencer on organ, Grover Washington on tenor, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all wailing, just wailing, away on long funky tracks with solos that go waaaaay over the top! There's a full, extended brilliance here that has to be heard to be believed – an intensity of jazz funk energy that few groups or scenes in later years ever matched. Tracks include the wild "Conjunction Mars", "Spark Plug", and a funky cover of "Who's Gonna Take The Weight". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Prestige Records, PR 10016, 1971

Recorded 1^st (#A1) & 8^th (#A2-B3) March, 1971
At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Melvin Sparks - Guitar

Virgil Jones - Trumpet

Grover Washington Jr. - Tenor Saxophone

Leon Spencer Jr. - Organ (#A1)

Reggie Roberts - Organ (#A2-B3)

Idris Muhammad - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Who's Gonna Take The Weight? {Kool & The Gang} (9:22)

A2. Spark Plug {Melvin Sparks} (8:49)

B1. Conjunction Mars {Melvin Sparks} (8:12)

B2. Alone Together {Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz} (4:17)

B3. Dig Dis {Melvin Sparks} (6:48)

Total Time: 37:28

Credits:

Producer - Bob Porter

Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Artwork [Cover] - Tony Lane

Liner Notes - Tom Curry

Kool & The Gang [Members]

Gene Redd, George Brown, Richard Westfield, Robert Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Woodrow Sparrow, Robert "Kool" Bell, Ronald Bell]

Grover Washington, Jr. - Feels So Good (1975)

The aptly titled and much-sampled Feels So Good represents the creative apex of Grover Washington, Jr.'s sublime electric funk sound. Its shimmering, soulful grooves refute the argument that smooth jazz is little more than mere ambience, combining expert playing and intricate songwriting to create music that is both compelling and comforting. Arranger Bob James is in top form here, creating the spacious, rich milieus that are his trademark, but regardless of the name above the title, bassist Louis Johnson is the real star of the show. His supple rhythms percolate like coffee, adding oomph to the bottom of highlights "Hydra" and "Knucklehead" while Washington's cream-and-sugar soprano sax solos soar over the top. ~ by Jason Ankeny, AMG.

Kudu Records, KU-24 S1, 1975

Recorded May & July, 1975 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Grover Washington Jr. - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones

John Frosk, Jon Faddis, Randy Brecker, Bob Millikan - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Barry Rogers - Trombone

Alan Ralph, Dave Taylor - Bass Trombone

Sid Weinberg - Oboe, English Horn

Bob James - Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer

Eric Gale - Guitar

Gary King - Bass (#A1-A3)

Louis Johnson - Bass (#B1,B2)

Steve Gadd - Drums (#A1,A2)

Kenneth "Spider Webb" Rice - Drums (#B1,B2)

Ralph MacDonald - Percussion

Charles McCracken, Seymour Barab - Cello

Alfred Brown, Manny Vardi - Viola

Barry Finclair, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Guy Lumia,
Harry Lookofsky, Lewis Eley, Max Ellen, Raoul Poliakin - Violin

Tracks:

A1. The Sea Lion {Bob James} (5:57)

A2. Moonstreams {Grover Washington Jr.} (5:55)

A3. Knucklehead {Grover Washington Jr.} (7:59)

B1. It Feels So Good {Ralph MacDonald, William Salter} (8:19)

B2. Hydra {Grover Washington Jr.} (9:09)

Credits:

Producer - Creed Taylor

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Arranger - Bob James

Photography - Alen MacWeeney

Art Direction & Design - Richard Mantel

Liner Note - Todd Barkan

Boogaloo Joe Jones - What It Is (1971) [vinyl>flac]

Using the same personnel as he did on his fifth Prestige album (1970s No Way!), Jones offers more good-natured funk-soul-jazz on this 1971 session. After getting a couple of contemporary pop covers (of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move") out of the way, it's mostly Jones originals. On his slower moments, as in "Fadin'" and Sonny Thompson's "Let Them Talk," he shows the influence of straight jazz players such as Wes Montgomery; "What It Is" and "Inside Job" are more cut-to-the-chase funk riffs. Jones has his cult following, but as soul-jazz goes, this is kind of run of the mill: good for background, but not captivating foreground listening. ~ by Richie Unterberger, AMG.

This LP is not as ordinary as suggested. There is some amazing playing on the part of “Boogaloo” and Grover Washington Jr. Jimmy Lewis’ bass gets things pulsating along with the organ of Butch Cornell; many a fine groove is whipped into shape. On “What It Is” he soars. Bernard Purdie on drums hammers away in the background and every once in awhile Buddy Caldwell does his conga thing. A great mix of jazz; funk, blues and pop tunes. Enjoy!

Prestige Records, PR 10035, 1971

Recorded 16^th August, 1971 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewoods Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Boogaloo Joe Jones - Guitar

Grover Washington Jr. - Tenor Saxophone

Butch Cornell - Organ

Jimmy Lewis - Electric Bass

Bernard Purdie - Drums

Buddy Caldwell - Congas, Bongos

Track Listing:

A1. Ain't No Sunshine {Bill Withers} (5:33)

A2. I Feel The Earth Move {Carole King} (6:10)

A3. Fadin' {Boogaloo Joe Jones} (7:01)

B1. What It Is {Boogaloo Joe Jones} (7:05)

B2. Let Them Talk {Sonny Thompson} (5:49)

B3. Inside Job {Boogaloo Joe Jones} (6:17)

Credits:

Producer - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Art Direction - Tony Lane

Photos - Burt Goldblatt