Ray Charles - Doing HIS Thing, 1969 (24/96 lp rip)

Well I searched pretty far back and it appears that I never posted this here! My personal fave of the Tangerine albums. For some reason the Tangerine ABC recordings of Ray Charles have languished in obscurity due to lack of reissues for the entire digital age. Some of the other early ABC era stuff can be found, but the Tangerine albums have never been re-issued. I think Rhino or Bear Family will do a box someday soon, but until then we will have to be content with my digital transfer and restoration of this LP gem.

Unlike the majority of ABC material that I have heard, this is not over produced and dripping syrup, but is much more a continuation of the Atlantic years. The album is painfully short, but All Killa, No Filla! 

I had to go look for a back cover because I was confused why I had not bothered to keep one - it is because the back cover held no useful information, I'd guess... it may be that by the time I did this, my scanner had crapped out too. I also tried to find the full discograpy for the date, but even though my Fancourt / McGrath discography covers up to 1970, they apparently don't consider Ray "Blues worthy" past 1959. Hank, Fathead and Jimmy Lewis are obvious, but I wish I knew the rest; if anyone finds more complete session-ography, it would be appreciated.

 

Al Casey - The Al Casey Quartet (1960)

Albert Aloysius Casey, guitarist and bandleader: born Louisville, Kentucky 15 September 1915; married (one son); died New York 11 September 2005. Casey came from a musical family and was forced to learn the violin. He hated the sound of it and as soon as he could jettisoned it for the ukulele. Once in New York he studied guitar at DeWitt Clinton High School before his uncles sent him to the Martin Smith Music School for three years.

During the first part of his career Casey played a mainly chordal style on the guitar and it was only later, after Fats Waller's death in 1943, that he concentrated on electric guitar and the delightful single string solos that swung so much. He had such a powerful ability to swing that he had no need for complex solos and compared to other guitarists used a minimum of notes. This style can best be heard on the remarkably swinging blues feature that he recorded with Waller "Buck Jumpin' " (1941). This was a big hit at the time and Casey continued to play it regularly for the rest of his career. As far as could be judged it never lost any of its irresistible swing in later performances. ~ Extract by Steve Voce, Independent.co.uk.

Moodsville Records, MVLP 12, 1960

Recorded 10^th November, 1960 Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Al Casey - Guitar

Lee Anderson - Piano

Jimmy Lewis - Bass

Beltan Evans - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Blue Moon {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (4:35)

A2. These Foolish Things {Harry Link, Jack Strachey, Eric Maschwitz} (6:45)

A3. All Alone {Irving Berlin} (5:25)

B1. Don't Worry About Me {Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler} (5:51)

B2. Dancing In The Dark {Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz} (4:23)

B3. I'm Beginning To See The Light {James, Ellington, Hodges, George} (4:47)

B4. A Case Of Blues {Jimmy Lewis} (2:52)

Total Time: 34:38

Credits:

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Joe Goldberg

Houston Person - Person To Person! (1970) [re-rip]

A mix of Prestige funk and earlier soul jazz - and a record that features tenorist Houston Person blowing with a group that includes Prestige masters like Virgil Jones on trumpet, Grant Green on guitar, Sonny Phillips on keyboards, and Idris Muhammad on drums! Jimmy Lewis plays a Fender bass in the group - which gives the tracks a nice round sound, and pushes the funk component a bit more than usual - and the album includes some nice groovers, like "Son Of Man" and "Up At Joe's, Down At Joe's", plus some mellower, more soulful material. © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Prestige Records, PRST 10003, 1970

Recorded 12^th October, 1970 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Personnel:

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone

Virgil Jones - Trumpet

Sonny Phillips - Organ, Electric Piano (#A3,B3)

Grant Green - Guitar

Jimmy Lewis - Electric Bass [Fender]

Idris Muhammad - Drums

Buddy Caldwell - Congas

Tracks:

A1. Son Of Man {Harold Ousley} (8:29)

A2. Teardrops {Bunny Biggs} (4:38)

A3. Close To You {Burt Bacharach, Hal David} (5:17)

B1. Drown In My Own Tears {Ray Charles, Henry Glover} (7:18)

B2. Up At Joe's, Down At Jim's {Houston Person} (8:48)

B3. Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday {Bryan Wells, Ronald Dean Miller} (4:33)

Credits:

Producer - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Design - Don Schlitten
Photo - Al Johnson
Liner Notes - Bill Johnson, WCHD-FM (Nov. 1970)

Johnny "Hammond" Smith - Black Feeling! (1970)

Johnny "Hammond" Smith, a hardcore organist who turned Hammond into his middle name. In many ways this LP could be considered his most groove-filled album released on the prestige label, invariably a jazz funk masterpiece. Virgil Jones's trumpet playing along with saxophonists Rusty Bryant and Leo Johnson bring additional power to this album, especially when compared to its predecessor “Soul Talk”. So too are crisp, tight rhythms of Bernard "Pretty" Purdie’s drumming. Equally guitarist Wally Richardson’s beautifully crafted strumming and Jimmy Lewis' thick bass lines don't disappoint, but of course the star man is Johnny himself swirling away on the Hammond, just listen to his cool organ solos scattered throughout the album. Not to be overlooked, enjoy!

Prestige Records, PRST 7736, 1970

Recorded 22^nd December, 1969 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

=======================================================

Musicians:

Johnny "Hammond" Smith - Organ

Virgil Jones - Trumpet

Rusty Bryant - Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone

Leo Johnson - Tenor Saxophone

Wally Richardson - Guitar

Jimmy Lewis - Electric Bass

Bernard “Pretty” Purdie - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Black Feeling {Leo Johnson} (6:32)

A2. Kindra {Leo Johnson} (5:42)

A3. Johnny Hammond Boogaloo {Wally Richardson} (5:01)

B1. Dig On It {Leo Johnson} (7:57)

B2. When Sunny Gets Blue {Marvin Fisher, Jack Segal} (4:27)

B3. Soul Talk-1970 {Johnny "Hammond" Smith} (6:23)

Total Time: 35:02

Credits:

Producer - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Design, Photo - Don Schlitten

Liner Notes - Bill Buchanan (Boston Globe, Feb. 1970)

Sonny Phillips - Black On Black (1970) [re-rip]

Sonny Phillips' third and final album for Prestige, coming just over a year after his first, shows the soul-jazz organist moving in a somewhat funkier direction than his first two efforts. The roiling title track actually has an edge of menace to it, an idea his other albums never even entertained. Of the five tracks, the most surprisingly effective is the nine-minute take on Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary"; even more so than Ike and Tina Turner, Phillips and band completely reshape the song, taking off the edge of distance from Creedence Clearwater Revival's original and the campy showbiz of the better-known cover in favor of a pure soul-jazz workout that's among the finest things Phillips ever did in his short recording career. The other highlight is "The Doll House," a showcase for Rusty Bryant's tenor sax with the album's most satisfying soloing. Sonny Phillips isn't highly rated by some soul-jazz historians, but his unique and characteristic light tone -- heavily influenced by his early teachers, Jodie Christian and Ahmad Jamal -- makes his albums far more interesting to listen to than the usual barrage of Jimmy McGriff lifts. ~ by Stewart Mason, AMG.

This 1970 album "Black On Black" is another fine soul-jazz recording. It features Phillips with tenor saxophonist Rusty Bryant, guitarist Melvin Sparks, electric bassist Jimmy Lewis and drummer Bernard Purdie. The music is blues-and groove-oriented. Bryant in particular showcases some fine solos, while Phillips' chugging organ is always appealing.

Prestige Records, PR 10007, 1970

Recorded 27^th July, 1970 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Tracks:

A1. Black On Black {Phillips, Bryant, Sparks, Lewis, Purdie} (5:34)

A2. Check It Out {Sonny Phillips} (6:20)

A3. Blues In Maude's Flat {Grant Green} (6:30)

B1. Proud Mary {John Fogerty} (8:01)

B2. The Doll House {Jimmy Lewis} (7:40)

Personnel:

Sonny Phillips - Organ

Rusty Bryant - Tenor Saxophone

Melvin Sparks - Guitar

Jimmy Lewis - Bass [Fender]

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Drums

Credits:

Producer [Supervision] - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Design, Photo - Don Schlitten
Liner Notes - Tom Curry (December 1970)

Charles Kynard - The Soul Brotherhood (1969) [re-rip]

Charles Kynard's name is an obscure one to those not interested or educated enough to be enamored with '60s and '70s organ-driven soul-jazz -- which at the dawn of the 21st century, was being played by generations whose parents were children at best when this music was in its heyday. But he was an essential player and the proof is in the caliber of players he could draw to play on any given session. One of those sessions a real bad-assed soul groove set was released as "The Soul Brotherhood" in 1969. The musicians joining Kynard on Soul Jazz LP were: the enigmatic jazz drummer Mickey Roker, guitarist Grant Green, tenor saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, and electric bassist Jimmy Lewis. From the title track, Kynard has the proceedings firmly in hand; his sweeping right hand carries both the middle and the high registers of the instrument in a flighty idiomatic spiral of harmonic invention that never leaves its root in the blues. Lewis is merely a time keeper, but a funky one, and that's all Green needs when it's his turn to solo, with his arpeggios and stinging trills and 16th notes slipping all over Kynard's top-heavy surface. Green glides and slips and flies through the mix as Newman and Mitchell cover the fills with a harmonic front that swings in soft blue. The same goes for "Blue Farouq," which begins as a soul-blues strut by the horns; Green comps, laying back, and Kynard is down in the deep with his left hand seeking to fill the whole thing with enough water for the mosquito -- Mitchell -- to get steamed up and fly. And he does this with as inspired a solo as he ever played. He took the 12-bar blues and caught its tail moving just far enough behind the beat to stretch the whole thing out. Honking lines of feeling and slippery hooks smatter notes all over the palette before Newman straightens it all out with an in-the-pocket groove for three or four choruses. This is, of all the groove records of the late '60s, the one that pushes all the boundaries. ~ Extracts by Thom Jurek, AMG.

Prestige Records, PRST 7630, 1969

Recorded 10^th March, 1969 at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Charles Kynard - Organ

Blue Mitchell - Trumpet

David "Fathead" Newman - Tenor Saxophone

Grant Green - Guitar

Jimmy Lewis - Electric Bass

Mickey Roker - Drums

Tracks:

A1. The Soul Brotherhood {Charles Kynard} (6:06)

A2. Big City {Marvin Jenkins} (7:26)

A3. Jealjon {Charles Kynard} (7:46)

B1. Piece O' Pisces {David "Fathead" Newman} (10:07)

B2. Blue Farouq {Blue Mitchell} (9:04)

Credits:

Producer - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Buddy Terry - Natural Soul (1967) [re-rip]

I have a lot to be thankful for. I am blessed as a leader, saxophonist, flutist, composer/arranger and soloist. I am well represented as a composer/arranger; whereas out of the six tunes included in this album, five were written and arranged by me. Notice the variety of the tunes. I have a blues, a ballad, a church-type song in six-four time, a calypso and jazz rooted boogaloo tune. All are different, but on the other hand they do have an affinity--they all are soulful. They have a Natural Soul which is brought about, in part, by the honesty and integrity of the musicians involved. To all the people who buy this album and read these notes I would like to say "GOD BLESS YOU". ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Buddy Terry

Prestige Records, PRST 7541, 1968

Recorded 15^th November, 1967 at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Personnel:

Buddy Terry - Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Woody Shaw - Trumpet, Flugelhorn (#A2,A4,B1)

Joe Thomas - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (A1,A3)

Robbie Porter - Baritone Saxophone (#A2)

Larry Young - Organ, Piano (#A1,A3)

Jiggs Chase - Organ (#A1)

Wally Richardson - Guitar (#A1,A2)

Jimmy Lewis - Bass [Fender] (#A1,A3,B2)

Eddie Gladden - Drums

Tracks:

A1. A Natural Woman {Goffin And King, Jerry Wexler} (3:19)

A2. Natural Soul [Sunday Go To Meetin' Blues] {Buddy Terry} (5:41)

A3. Pedro The One Arm Bandit {Buddy Terry} (6:31)

A4. Don't Be So Mean {Buddy Terry} (5:47)

B1. The Revealing Time {Buddy Terry} (12:12)

B2. Quiet Days And Lonely Nights {Buddy Terry} (7:15)

Credits:

Producer - Cal Lampley

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Design, Photo - Don Schlitten

Liner Notes - Buddy Terry (Jan. 1968)

Willis Jackson - In The Alley (1977) [vinyl]

Smooth and mellow 70s funk from Willis Jackson - a record that still has him working with funky stalwarts from earlier years, but which has a more 70s-influenced kind of groove! There's actually a nice dose of older soul jazz lurking underneath a few of the tracks - making for a record that skirts both sides of Willis' career at the time nicely - and tracks are all longish, with enough room for good tenor work. Players include Sonny Phillips, Carl Wilson, Jimmy Ponder, and Buddy Caldwell - and titles include "Niamani", "Gator's Groove", "More", and "In The Alley". © Dusty Groove America, Inc.

Muse Records, MR 5100, 1977

Recorded At Dimensional Sounds Studio, New York City

Musicians:

Willis Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Sonny Phillips - Piano

Carl Wilson - Organ

Jimmy Ponder - Guitar

Jimmy Lewis - Bass

Yusef Ali - Drums

Buddy Caldwell - Congas, Percussion

Tracks:

A1. Niamani {Sonny Phillips} (7:22)

A2. Gator's Groove {Yusef Ali} (7:06)

A3. Blues, Blues, Blues {Willis Jackson} (5:07)

B1. Young Man With The Horn {Ray Anthony} (5:54)

B2. More {Riziero Ortolani, Nino Oliviero, Norman Newell, Marcello Ciorciolini} (7:39)

B3. In The Alley {Willis Jackson} (9:07)

Credits:

Producer - Fred Seibert

Engineers - Malcolm Addey and Fred Seibert

Art Direction, Design, Photography - Hal Wilson