Hank Crawford - Dig These Blues (1966) [re-rip]

This is one of Hank Crawford's finest albums. Issued in the mid-'60s, it showcases Crawford in fine company. "Dig These Blues" is a down-home affair, in the pocket for the most part with midtempo blues tunes as well as a touch of Memphis-style Ellingtonia in "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." The utterly elegant and beautiful version of Charlie Warfield's "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" is done septet style, with Marcus Belgrave on trumpet. This album's closer, "Bluff City Blues," like "The Crazy Saloon" features Crawford on piano. Released in 1966, this LP contains some deep soul grooves and illustrates perfectly the enormity of his reputation. ~ Extracts from by Thom Jurek, AMG. 

Hank kicks back and blows soulfully - working in a variety of groups with hip players that include Wendell Harrison, Ali Mohammed, Wilbur Brown, and Leroy Cooper. The overall sound is similar to Crawford's other work on Atlantic - nothing too challenging, but in a soulful mode that's always pretty tight. Titles include "New Blues", "Hollywood Blues", "These Tears", "HC Blues", and "The Crazy Saloon". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Atlantic Records, SD 1436, 1966
Recorded 13th April, 1964 (A4,B1,B3); 10th December, 1964 (#A1,A3,A5)
and 11th February, 1965 (#A2,B2,B4) in New York City 

Musicians:
Hank Crawford - Alto Sax (#A1,A2,A4-B3), Piano (#A3,B4)
Oliver Beener, Phil Guilbeau - Trumpet (#A1,A3,A5)
Jimmy Owens, Marcus Belgrave - Trumpet (#A2,B2,B4)
John Hunt, Julius Brooks - Trumpet (#A4,B1,B3)
Wendell Harrison - Tenor Sax (#A1,A3,A5)
Abdul Baari - Tenor Sax (#A2,B2,B4)
Wilbur Brown - Tenor Sax (#A4,B1,B3)
Leroy Cooper - Baritone Sax (#A1,A3-B1,B3)
Howard Johnson - Baritone Sax (#A2,B2,B4)
Ali Mohammed - Bass (#A1,A3,A5)
Charlie Green - Bass (#A2,B2,B4)
Edgar Willis - Bass (#A4,B1,B3)
Bruno Carr - Drums (#A1,A3-B1,B3)
Milt Turner - Drums (#A2,B2,B4) 

Tracks:
A1. Dig These Blues {Hank Crawford} (4:33)
A2. Don't Get Around Much Anymore {Duke Ellington, Bob Russell} (5:03)
A3. The Crazy Saloon {Hank Crawford} (2:59)
A4. H. C. Blues {Hank Crawford} (2:49)
A5. These Tears {Hank Crawford} (2:36)
B1. Hollywood Blues {Hank Crawford} (3:19)
B2. Baby Won't You Please Come Home {Charles Warfield, Clarence Williams} (5:46)
B3. New Blues {Phineas Newborn} (4:24)
B4. Bluff City Blues {Hank Crawford} (3:52) 

Total Time: 35:21 

Credits:
Supervision - Nesuhi Ertegun & Arif Mardin
Recording Engineer – Phil Iehle, Tom Dowd
Cover Design - Marvin Israel
Liner Notes - Nat Hentoff

LINK

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Hank Crawford - Roadhouse Symphony (1985)

All of Hank Crawford's many recordings for Milestone in the 1980s and '90s are worth picking up by his fans although this reasonably enjoyable outing is not one of the more essential ones. The soulful altoist is joined by Dr. John on piano and organ, guitarist Melvin Sparks, bassist Wilbur Bascomb, Jr., drummer Bernard Purdie and a five-piece horn section (Houston Person and David "Fathead" Newman get a tenor solo apiece) for a set mostly comprised of group originals plus the old ballad "Say It Isn't So" and Thomas A. Dorsey's spiritual standard "Precious Lord"; Dr. John takes a vocal on his "Tragick Magick." ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Milestone Records, M-9140, 1985
Recorded 5th, 6th & 12th August, 1985 At Quadrasonic Sound, New York City 

Musicians:
Hank Crawford - Alto Saxophone, Arranger, Conductor
Alan Rubin, Randy Brecker - Trumpet
David "Fathead" Newman - Alto Sax, Tenor Sax [Solo] (#B3)
Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone [Solo] (#A1)
Howard Johnson - Baritone Saxophone
Dr. John - Piano, Organ, Vocals (#A2)
Melvin Sparks - Guitar
Wilbur Bascomb Jr. - Bass
Bernard Purdie - Drums 

Tracks:
A1. Roadhouse Symphony {Melvin Sparks} (5:48)
A2. Tragick Magick {Mac Rebennack} (4:38)
A3. Jubilee {Hank Crawford} (5:01)
A4. Say It Isn't So {Irving Berlin} (4:48)
B1. Time Is On Our Side {Mac Rebennack, Walter Bullock} (6:12)
B2. Precious Lord {Thomas Dorsey} (5:14)
B3. Sugar Ditch {Hank Crawford} (6:13) 

Total Time: 37:54

Credits:
Producer - Bob Porter
Engineer - Malcolm Addey
Engineer [Assistant] - David Sussman
Mastering - George Horn
Cover, Artwork, Design - Jamie Putnam
Art Direction - Phil Carroll
Photography - Phil Bray

Erica Lindsay - Dreamer (1989)

This is the debut album by the talented tenorist Erica Lindsay. Erica handpicked the musicians for this session: Howard Johnson on tuba, baritone sax, flugelhorn and pennywhistle; Robin Eubanks on trombone; Francesca Tanksley on piano; Anthony Cox on bass and Newman Baker on drums. She composes five of the six tunes, and arranges those with Howard Johnson stepping in on "Day Dream". 

Erica Lindsay's tenor sax is laid back and breathy, and it suits her compositions-which account for five of the cuts on this, her first recording under her own name. The drive of the piece though, comes from Howard Johnson, who plays from the bottom (tuba and baritone sax) to the top (penny whistle). Robin Eubanks makes a trombone appearance on one cut, too. The album as a whole is satisfying and fresh. ~ Jack Fuller, Chicago Tribune.  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Candid Records, CS 9040, 1992
Recorded 3^rd-5^th March 1989 At Clinton Studios, New York City

Musicians:
Erica Lindsay - Tenor Saxophone
Howard Johnson - Tuba, Baritone Saxophone, Flugelhorn, Pennywhistle
Robin Eubanks - Trombone
Francesca Tanksley - Piano
Anthony Cox - Bass
Newman Baker - Drums 

Tracks:
A1. First Moment {Erica Lindsay} (8:55)
A2. Day Dream {Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, John LaTouche} (6:21)
A3. Walking Together {Erica Lindsay} (7:15)
B1. Dreamer {Erica Lindsay} (6:57)
B2. At The Last Moment {Erica Lindsay} (6:48)
B3. Gratitude {Erica Lindsay} (7:58)

Total Time: 44:14

Credits:
Executive-Producer - Alan Bates
Recording Engineer, Producer - David Baker
Producer - Kenny Inaoka
Design - Eliko Yamanaka, Takeshi Masuda
Photography - Shunsuke Yamamoto
Liner Notes - Nat Hentoff 

Also released as Candid Records [CCD 79040]

Magnificent !!!
============
Certainly, one of our most Unsung Current Reed Players! Erica Lindsay plays w/ passion, flexibility and originality. All of her recordings are must haves, but this one, her first remains my personal favorite. A great cast of supporting, innovative musicians as well - Robin Eubanks, Francesca Tanksley, Howard Johnson, Anthony Cox, Newman Baker. An Absolute Gem! ~ Robert Ricketts, 5 Stars, Amazon.com.

Hank Crawford - South - Central (1993)

All of the songs on this set except for the closing "Holy Night" (which was left over from a 1990 session) are from 1992. Altoist Hank Crawford is heard at his best on the ballads where he really caresses the melodies, giving them a great deal of soul and heartfelt feeling. Joined by guitarist Melvin Sparks, pianist Stan Hope, bassist Peter Martin Weiss and drummer Grady Tate (with an occasional hint of strings), Crawford digs into such songs as "I Should Care," "I Want To Talk About You," and "Fool That I Am," finding time to swing "In A Mellotone" and "Splanky." His alto playing is at its most vocal throughout this passionate yet tasteful set, which will be easily enjoyed by his many fans. ~  by Scott Yanow, AMG.

Milestone Records, MCD-9201-2, 1993

Recorded 11^th & 27^th August, 1992 (#1-8) At Nola Sound Studios, NYC;

February, 1990 (#9) At Giant Studios, New York City;

8^th September, 1992 Synthesizers At Malcolm Addey's Studio, New York City

Musicians:

Hank Crawford - Alto Saxophone, String Arrangements (#1-9)

Stan Hope - Piano (#1-8)

Melvin Sparks - Guitar (#1-9)

Peter Martin Weiss - Bass (#1-8)

Grady Tate - Drums (#1-8)

George Caldwell - Strings (#1-8)

#9. O Holy Night

Hank Crawford - Arranger [Horns]

Lew Soloff - Trumpet

Alan Rubin - Horns

Lou Marini - Tenor Saxophone

Howard Johnson - Baritone Saxophone

Gloria Coleman - Organ

Doctor John - Piano

Wilbur Bascomb - Bass

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie

Tracks:

1. Falling In Love With Love {Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers} (4:43)

2. I Should Care {Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston} (6:16)

3. South Central {Hank Crawford} (8:31)

4. I Want To Talk About You {Billy Eckstine} (5:20)

5. In A Mellow Tone {Duke Ellington, Milt Gabler} (5:26)

6. Conjunction Mars {Hank Crawford} (8:07)

7. Fool That I Am {Hank Crawford} (5:57)

8. Splanky {Neal Hefti} (4:24)

9. O Holy Night {Adolphe Adam, John Sullivan Dwight} (3:28)

Credits:

Producer - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Malcolm Addey

Mastering Engineer - George Horn (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley)

Artwork - Phil Carroll

Photography - Frank Lindner

Design - Jamie Putnam

Liner Notes - David Ritz

Rickie Boger - Slow Down, Baby (1976) [vinyl>flac]

Here we have a rare piece of Muse history, a lost soul/jazz gem from a beautiful vocalist backed by an outstanding gathering of great players from that time. After multiple plays this LP becomes quite infectious. I just wish she could have gone on to produce further soul classics, Enjoy!

A righteous bit of soul - one of the only non-jazz albums we've seen on the Muse label, and a really great session that reminds us of work by Alice Clark and Esther Marrow - two other overlooked 70s soul singers who also recorded for jazz labels! Rickie's got a deep soul approach to the vocals that's nicely inflected with jazzy work by players that include Tom Malone, Kalaparusha, Buddy Terry, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson - the last of whom arranged and conducted the backings, and gives the album a full-on and progressive feel. Rickie's vocals have lots of nice gentle tones, making for some sweet little numbers that sparkle nicely - titles that include "Baby Won't You Stay", "To Be Needed", "In A Little While", "At The Clinic", "What Could It Be", and "I Won't See Yesterday".  © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Muse Records, MR 5084, 1976

Recorded October, November, 1975 At Blue Rock Studio, New York

Personnel:

Rickie Boger - Vocals, Piano (#A3,B1)

Howard Johnson - Flugelhorn (#A2,A3,A5,B3), Tuba (#B1,B4), Baritone Saxophone (#A1-A5), Clarinet (#B2), Bass Clarinet (#B2,B4), Penny Whistle (#A1), Tambourine (#A3,B1)

Tom Malone - Trumpet (#A2,A3,A5), Flugelhorn (#A1,A5), Trombone (#A1-A3,B3), Alto Flute (#B3,B4), Soprano Flute (#B3)

Eric Hanigsberg - Flugelhorn (#A4,B4)

Ray Anderson - Trombone (#A1,A4,A5,B4)

Bob Stewart, Samuel Pilafian - Tuba (#B1)

John Clark - French Horn (#A4,B4)

Buddy Terry - Alto Saxophone (#A1), Tenor Saxophone (#A2-A4), Alto Flute (#B4), Piccolo Flute (#A4)

Kalaparusha [Maurice McIntyre] - Clarinet (#B2)

Frank Vicari - Tenor Saxophone (#A1,A5)

Rosalinda Deleon - Piano

Onaje Allan Gumbs - Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes]

Jerry Matthews - Guitar

Herb Bushler - Bass

Pat Dixon - Cello (#A2,A3,B4)

Victor Lewis, Warren Smith - Drums (#A3,B3)

Ellen Deleston - Backing Vocals (#A1,A5,B2)

Sister Strings:

Linda Lawrence, Lois Slessinger - Viola (#A2,A3,B4)

Francine Walsh, Ida Bieler, Nina Simon - Violin (#A2,A3,B4)

Gayle Dixon - Concertmaster (#A2,A3,B4)

Tracks:

A1. What Could It Be? {Rickie Boger} (2:55)

A2. Do You Like My Song? {Elsie Turner} (2:30)

A3. In A Little While {Rickie Boger} (3:21)

A4. At The Clinic {Rickie Boger} (5:23)

A5. I Won't See Yesterday {Rickie Boger} (2:44)

B1. Slow Down Baby {Rickie Boger} (4:15)

B2. To Be Needed {Rickie Boger} (3:08)

B3. We Only Have Love {Rickie Boger} (4:03)

B4. Baby Won't You Stay {Elsie Turner} (2:38)

Credits:

Producer - Ed Korvin

Producer, Arranger, Conductor - Howard Johnson

Recording Engineer - Ed Korvin

Mastering Engineer - Joe Brescio

Design, Photography - Hal Wilson

Liner Notes - Joe Fields

Johnny Coles - Katumbo (Dance)

I must admit that I am not a big fan of the Mainstream "sound".  It more or less comes across like many CTI albums, and it's not for me.  But to paint the whole thing black would be foolish, as this album has proven.

I actually found this and two other Mainstream sides at a thrift, still sealed and only $1 each!!  My main idea was to simply trade them at the local record shop, but two ended up staying with me.

This album varies wildly in terms of style - and for the good I think.  Bop, fusion and avante garde can all be heard at one point or another.  The thing which really holds this session together, at least for my tastes, is Coles' clear and bold statement of a theme.  Tunes like 728 and Petit Machins really stand out as they open up with something groovy for the listener to take into the song.  This album won't be for everyone but I would suggest givin it a whirl if you enjoy Coles' playing at all.

Ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC... enjoy!!

Mainstream MRL 346
1971

Gregory Herbert (ts), Johnny Coles (t, fh), Astley Fennell (tb), Howard Johnson (tu), Cedar Walton (p, ep), Reggie Workman (b, eb), Bruce Ditmas (d)

1. Never Can Say Goodbye  (Clifton Davis) 
2.  September Of My Years  (Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn) 
3.  728  (Johnny Coles) 
4.  Eleven [aka Petits Machins]  (Miles Davis, Gil Evans) 
5.  Betty's Bossa  (Cecil Bridgewater) 
6.  Funk Dumplin'  (Johnny Coles