Shirley Scott - Shirley Scott & The Soul Saxes (1969) [vinyl]

One of Scott’s best albums, Shirley Scott and the Soul Saxes finds the organist on a 1969 set of mostly soul covers. This was one of her few dates for the soul-heavy Atlantic label, but it certainly qualifies as a standout in the entire soul-jazz catalog. Joined by the royal sax trio of David Newman, King Curtis, and Hank Crawford, Scott plies her smooth, yet deep B-3 alchemy atop a stellar rhythmic pulse supplied by Chuck Rainey, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, and Richard Tee. And this fine contingent does not fail to please, especially on a joyous take of “More Today Than Yesterday” and the gospel-infused “I Wish I Knew (How It Feels Like to Be Free).” The versions of classics by the Isley Brothers, Aretha Franklin, and the Beatles aren’t bad either. ~ Stephen Cook, AMG.

Atlantic Records, SD 1532, 1969

Recorded 10^th September, 1968 (#A3) in New York City; 9^th July, 1969 (#A1,B1,B2)

and 10^th July, 1969 (#A2,B3,B4) at Regent Sound Studios, New York

Musicians:

Shirley Scott - Organ

Ernie Royal - Trumpet (#A1,A2,B1-B4)

Hank Crawford - Alto & Baritone Saxophones (#A1,A2,B1-B4)

King Curtis - Tenor Saxophone (#A1,A2,B1-B4)

David "Fathead" Newman - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (#A1,A2,B1-B4)

Richard Tee - Piano (#A1,A2,B1-B4)

Eric Gale - Guitar

Chuck Rainey - Electric Bass (#A1,A2,B1-B4)

Jerry Jemmott - Electric Bass (#A3)

Bernard Purdie - Drums (#A1,A3-B2)

Jimmy Johnson - Drums (#A2,B3,B4)

Tracks:

A1. It's Your Thing {O'Kelley Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley} (4:27)

A2. [You Make Me Feel Like] A Natural Woman {Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Jerry Wexler} (4:17)

A3. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free {Billy Taylor, Dick Dallas} (6:20)

B1. You {Ivy Hunter, Jack Goga, Jeffrey Owen} (5:40)

B2. Stand By Me {Ben E. King, Elmo Glick} (4:02)

B3. Get Back {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (4:43)

B4. More Today Than Yesterday {Patrick Upton} (3:37)

Credits:

Producer - Joel Dorn

Marty Sheller - Arranger, Conductor (except #A3)

Engineer - Adrian Barber (#A3), Bob Liftin (#A1,A2,B1-B4)

Engineer [Re-Mix] - William Arit

Photography [Backliner] - Joel Brodsky, Walter Looss

Photography [Cover] - O. Vernon Matisse

Total Time: 33:08

Ray Bryant - MCMLXX (1970)

 Despite some commercial tendencies, this 1970 LP (not yet reissued on CD) is better than it looks. Pianist Ray Bryant uplifts such pop material as "Let It Be," "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "Hey Jude," and "Spinning Wheel." Four selections find Bryant's trio (with electric bassist Chuck Rainey and drummer Jimmy Johnson) augmented by either horns (on "Let It Be") or by strings effectively arranged by Eumir Deodata. The colorful results are not essential but are less dated than one might think. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

Timeless

=======

Long overdue, this is the album that propelled Ray Bryant onto the jazz radio charts for weeks (if not months) in 1971, by virtue of the remarkable interpretation of "Unchained Melody". Considering the popularity of the album, and the airplay, it is puzzling that this album has not been reissued before now (as the album title suggests, original -- and only previous -- release was 1970). Recommended to Ray Bryant fans and to piano jazz lovers equally. ~ Geezosaur, Amazon.com.

Atlantic Records, SD 1564, 1970

Rhino Records, WPCR-27092, 2012

Recorded At Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, NY

Musicians:

Ray Bryant - Piano

Joe Newman - Trumpet (#2)

Garnett Brown - Trombone (#2)

George Dorsey - Alto Saxophone (#2)

Joe Gentle - Tenor Saxophone (#1,3,4)

King Curtis - Tenor Saxophone (#2)

Pepper Adams - Baritone Saxophone (#2)

Leon Cohen - Bass Clarinet (#1,3,4)

Ron Carter - Acoustic Bass (#1,3,4)

Chuck Rainey - Electric Bass

Charles McCracken - Cello (#1,3,4)

Jimmy Johnson - Drums

Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff, Joseph Malignaggi, Julien Barber, Matthew Raimondi,

Noel Dacosta, Paul Gershman, Selwart Clarke, Winston Collymore - Violin (#1,3,4)

Arranger - Arif Mardin (#A2), Eumir Deodato (#1,3,4)

Tracks:

1. Stick With It {Ray Bryant} (5:54)

2. Let It Be {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (4:02)

3. Bridge Over Troubled Water {Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel} (3:18)

4. Hey Jude {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (4:53)

5. Shake-A-Lady {Ray Bryant} (2:40)

6. Unchained Melody {Alex North, Hy Zaret} (4:48)

7. My Cherie Amour {Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, Stevie Wonder} (4:59)

8. Spinning Wheel {David Clayton-Thomas} (3:39)

Credits:

Producer - Joel Dorn

Recording Engineer - Gene Paul

Recording & Re-Mix Engineer - Lewis Hahn

Photography - Joel Brodsky

Cover, Design - Haig Adishian

Total Time: 34:13

Billy Butler - Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (1970) [re-rip]

Billy Butler is well known to guitarists only, as the co-author of the early R&B funked-up standard "Honky Tonk," with organist Bill Doggett. But the almighty groove wasn't Butler's only strength. With a saxophonist like Houston Person, he could play the most elegant swing - as in their read of the Rodgers & Hart classic "Dancing on the Ceiling" The wildest tune on the Person sessions is Neil Hefti and Bobby Troup's "Girl Talk." Before this I could never have imagined hearing this tune as an instrumental, but it works like grease on a bicycle chain with Butler punching up the melody and bending his strings all over it to make the language impenetrable to all but his rhythm section, and Person who flies over the top making the simple pop song into a work of groove jazz artistry. This album is a welcome introduction to one of the great, all-but-lost talents in jazz history. Billy Butler was a guitarist's guitarist and an innovator in both production and arrangements. This album is solid from top to bottom and reveals the restless spirit of a quiet yet demanding artist. ~ extracts taken from review by Thom Jurek, AMG.

This album is a continuation of display of ability and versatility presented in his first Prestige albums: This is Billy Butler! (Prestige 7622) and Guitar Soul! (Prestige 7734). This goes a bit further than the others in that it presents some music written and arranged by Billy for a guitar choir as well as some cooking things and standards he is known for. Most of the album reunites Billy with Ernie Hayes and Houston Person who were a part of his debut album for Prestige. Jimmy Lewis is no stranger to Billy since they worked together with King Curtis for some time. I think that once you have listened to the latest effort of Billy Butler you'll agree that it is every bit as good as his other two albums. If you are unfamiliar with him up to this point, welcome aboard! ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Sonny Mann.

Prestige Records, PRST 7797, 1970

Recorded 27th April (#B2,B3) & 29th June (#A1-B1,B4), 1970 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Billy Butler - Guitar, Bass Guitar

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone (#A1-B1,B4)

Jerome Richardson - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (#B2,B3)

Ernie Hayes - Organ, Electric Piano (#A1-B1,B4)

Sonny Phillips - Organ, Electric Piano (#B2,B3)

Everett Barksdale - Guitar (#B2,B3)

Billy Suyker - Guitar (#B2,B3)

Jimmy Lewis - Electric Bass (#A1-B1,B4)

Chuck Rainey - Electric Bass (#B2,B3)

Jimmy Johnson - Drums

Track Listing:

A1. Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow {Billy Butler} (5:12)

A2. Girl Talk {Bobby Troup, Neal Hefti} (4:56)

A3. Dancing On The Ceiling {Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers} (5:43)

B1. Hold It! {Billy Butler, Clifford Scott} (3:51)

B2. Evening Dreams {Billy Butler} (4:10)

B3. The Butler Did It {Billy Butler} (3:47)

B4. Sweet Georgia Brown {Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey, Maceo Pinkard} (4:49)

Credits:

Supervision - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Photo - Al Johnson
Design - Don Schlitten

Liner Notes - Sonny Mann, WFAS Radio, White Plains, N.Y. (Sept. 1970)

Billy Butler - Night Life (1971) [re-rip]

Butler was a versatile musician who, on ballads in particular displayed a very interesting sound, sometimes sliding between notes as if he were playing a steel guitar. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG.

The music on this LP is generally in the Soul Jazz vein. Butler apart from the title track Nightlife performs mostly standards including Wave, Watch What Happens, Prelude To A Kiss and In A Mellow Tone; along with one of his own; Peacock Alley. His sidemen include Houston Person or Jesse Powell on tenors, Johnny "Hammond" Smith on keyboards (electric piano or organ), electric bassist Bob Bushnell, and Jimmy Johnson on drums. This is a distinct improvement on "This Is BillyButler!" and is highly recommended

Prestige Records, PRST 7854, 1971

Recorded in 1971 at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Billy Butler - Guitar

Johnny "Hammond" Smith - Organ, Electric Piano (#A3)

Jesse Powell - Tenor Saxophone

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone (#A3,B3)

Bob Bushnell - Electric Bass

Jimmy Johnson - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Nightlife {Walt Breeland, Paul Buskirk, Willie Nelson} (5:57)

A2. Wave {Antonio Carlos Jobim} (5:52)

A3. Watch What Happens {Jacques Demy, Norman Gimbel, Michel Legrand} (5:03)

B1. Peacock Alley {Billy Butler, Bill Doggett} (4:08)

B2. Prelude To A Kiss {Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Irving Gordon} (5:07)

B3. In A Mellotone {Duke Ellington, Milt Gabler} (9:44)

Credits:

Producer, Recording Supervisor - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Design - Don Schlitten

Liner Notes - Sonny Mann: WFAS Radio, White Plains, N.Y. (February, 1971)

Whether you as an individual are a “day lifer" or a "night lifer", Billy Butler has something to say to you. Within this jacket is an album that will appeal to people young and also not so young. And better appeal - or diversity - is hard to come by! ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Sonny Mann.

Ray Bryant - In The Cut (1974) [vinyl>flac]

Recorded in 1974, Ray Bryant's In the Cut is the one recording in his career that stands out from all the others - not necessarily because it is the best thing he ever cut, but because it is unlike anything in his vast oeuvre. Bryant and producer Esmond Edwards set out to make a contemporary album while the great pianist was with Cadet. No solo, no trio, no quartet - this time out, Bryant's In the Cut is recorded with a full-on big band playing everything from contemporary soul tunes (such as the Jacksons' "I'll Be There," which opens this remarkable offering) to his own hard bop blues numbers such as "Cool Struttin'" and the title track to tough line-punchers like Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man." The entire Cadet house band was involved in this baby, including Charles Stepney, who did all the horn and, yes, string arrangements (and plays some synth, too). Bryant also plays a fair amount of electric piano here, and is accompanied by, among others, guitarists Jimmy Ponder and John Tropea, bassists Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter, drummer Jimmy Johnson, percussionist and conguero Montego Joe, trumpeters Marvin Stamm and Joe Wilder, and George Marge on tenor, flute, and oboe. The sound of In the Cut is literally startling. Bryant's trademark gait on the piano is immediate from the very opening bars of "I'll Be There." When the horns enter full-force, it's a new sound world - disorienting, yes, especially if you can't let yourself get beyond what Bryant's "normal" m.o. is. But the groove - gentle, soulful, and pronounced - is everywhere in these tracks. ~ Extract by Thom Jurek, AMG.

Cadet Records, CA 50052, 1974

Recorded At Sound Exchange Studios and A&R Studios, New York City

Mastered At Sterling Sound, New York City

Musicians:

Ray Bryant - Piano, Electric Piano

Joe Wilder - Trumpet (#A1,A3-B3)

Marvin Stamm - Trumpet (#A1,A3-B3)

George Marge - Flute, Tenor Saxophone, Oboe (#A1,A3-B3)

Charles Stepney - Synthesizer [Moog] (#A1-A3,B1), Arranger [Strings & Horns]

Jimmy Ponder - Guitar [Soloist] (#A2)

John Tropea - Guitar, Acoustic Guitar (#A2)

Margaret Ross - Harp (#A1,A3-B3)

Richard Davis - Bass (#A1)

Ron Carter - Bass (#A2,A4))

Stanley Clarke - Bass (#A3,B1-B3)

Jimmy Johnson - Drums

Montego Joe - Congas

Alfred Brown, Emanuel Vardi, Julian Barber, Selart Clarke, Theodore Israel - Viola (#A1,A3-B3)

Diana Halprin, Emanuel Green, Harry Glickman, Max Polikoff, Paul Gershman - Violin (#A1,A3-B3)

Tracks:

A1. I'll Be There {Bob West, Hal Davis, Willie Hutch, Berry Gordy, Jr.} (4:59)

A2. Andalusan Nights {Esmond Edwards} (4:45)

A3. Stop, Look & Listen To Your Heart/You Are Everything {Thom Bell, Linda Creed} (6:47)

A4. Cool Struttin' {Ray Bryant} (4:44)

B1. Land Of Make Believe {Chuck Mangione} (5:41)

B2. In The Cut {Ray Bryant} (6:16)

B3. Watermelon Man {Herbie Hancock} (4:53)

Credits:

Producer - Esmond Edwards

Production Supervision - Bob Scerbo

Album Co-ordination - Gwen Williams

Engineer - Skip Juried (Sound Exchange Studios, NYC)

Engineer - Don Hahn (A&R Studios, NYC)

Art Direction - Neil Terk

Photography - P.B. Kaplan

David Newman - Mr. Fathead (1976) [vinyl>flac]

A pretty sweet set from reedman David Newman - a record that has him working with larger instrumental backdrops, in a mode that's almost like the sound going on with Stanley Turrentine over at CTI! William S. Fischer handled all the arrangements - so although things are tight, there's still a cool creative undercurrent too - way more than just standard orchestrations behind Newman's sweet solo lines on alto, tenor, and soprano sax. A few cuts have backing vocals - used in ways you might hear on a Hank Crawford album - and titles include "Shiki", "Promise Me Your Love", "Ebo Man", "Groovin To The Music", "I Love Music", and "Mashooganah". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

David "Fathead" Newman plays alto sax, tenor sax & flute backed by Ron Carter, Anthony Jackson, Dom Um Romão, Jimmy Johnson, Pat Rebillot, Andy Newmark, Jerry Friedman, David Carey, Bill Salter, Ralph MacDonald, Keith Loving, Jimmie Young, Dave Valentin (playing percussion!) et al, plus brass section (featuring Burt Collins, Joe Shepley, Jim Bossy & Richard Peck), strings (feat. Selwart Clarke on viola) and backing vocals (including Patti Austin). My personal favorite tracks: "You Got Style" (a lush arrangement of the Ralph MacDonald/Bill Salter tune previously recorded by Phil Upchurch & Tennyson Stephens on Kudu), "Groovin' To The Music," "Ebo Man," "Promise Me Your Love" and "I Love Music". ~ Arnaldo Desouteiro.

Warner Bros. Records, BS 2917, 1976

Recorded At Regent Sound Studios, New York City

Personnel:

David Newman - Alto, Soprano & Tenor Saxophones, Flute

Jim Bossy, Burt Collins, Joseph Shepley - Trumpet

Buddy Morrow - Trombone

Jonathan Dorn - Tuba

Billy Slapin - Clarinet, Piccolo Flute

Richard Landry - Tenor Saxophone

Arthur Jenkins - Keyboards

Bill Fischer - Electric Piano, Synthesizer

Arthur Jenkins - Piano

Jose Cruz - Electric Piano

Pat Rebillot - Clavinet

Luis Cruz, Jerry Friedman, Keith Loving - Guitar

Bill Salter - Bass

Anthony Jackson - Bass Guitar

Ron Carter - Bass

Jimmy Johnson - Drums

Jimmie Young - Drums

Andy Newmark - Drums

John Rodrieguez, Ralph MacDonald - Percussion

David Valentin - Percussion

Dom Um Romão - Percussion

and others [See Info file]

Tracks:

A1. Dance With Me {John & Johanna Hall} (3:55)

A2. Groovin' To The Music {G. P. Coverdale, D. Cameron, D. McGriff} (5:51)

A3. You Got Style {Ralph MacDonald, William Salter} (4:32)

A4. Ebo Man {David Newman, Arthur Jenkins} (5:29)

B1. Shiki {Bill Fischer} (3:59)

B2. Promise Me Your Love {Ralph MacDonald, William Salter} (4:30)

B3. I Love Music {Leon Huff, Kenny Gamble} (6:12)

B4. Mashooganah {David Newman} (5:08)

Credits:

Producer - Joel Dorn, Jonathan Dorn

Arranger - William S. Fischer (#A1-A3,B1,B3,B4)

Engineer [Recording & Mixing] - Robert Liftin

Engineer [Mastering] - Vince McGarry

Art Direction - Ed Thrasher

Design - Brian Hagiwara, Rod Dyer Inc.

Photography [Front Cover] - H. E. Edgerton

Photography [Liner] - David Gahr

Liner Notes - Vernon Gibbs

Notes:

Mixed and Mastered At Regent Sound Studios, New York City