Gene Ammons - Big Bad Jug (1973) [vinyl]

Jug's big and bad here in tone - and the style is nicely complicated at times - a bit more open-ended and electric than before, with a sound that's almost like the shift that Stanley Turrentine was making during his years at CTI! There's still a bit of the previous Prestige funk in the mix - thanks to drums from Billy Cobham, and organ from Sonny Phillips - but the group also includes up-and-comer Maynard Parker on guitar, who gets in some nicely snakey lines at times - slinking through the tunes with a warmly chromatic edge that's mighty nice, and which sets the tune for some of Ammons' more laidback solo moments. His tenor's still as strong as ever, though - blown with a beautiful sense of tone, on tracks that include "Lady Mama", "Big Bad Jug", "Lucille", "Fly Me", and "Fuzz" - plus a nice version of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" with a sweetly gentle break! © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Prestige Records, P-10070, 1973

Recorded 28th (#A4,B3) & 30th October (#B1) and 1st November, 1972 (#A1,A2,A3,B2)
At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Gene Ammons - Tenor Saxophone

Hank Jones - Electric Piano (#A4,B1,B3)

Sonny Phillips - Electric Piano, Organ (#A1-A3,B2)

Ernest Hayes - Organ (#A4,B1,B3)

Maynard Parker - Guitar (#A1-A3,B2)

Joe Beck - Guitar (#A4,B1,B3)

Ron Carter - Bass, Electric Bass

Billy Cobham - Drums (#A1-A3,B2)

Idris Muhammad - Drums (#A4,B3)

Micky Roker - Drums (#B1)

Tracklisting:

A1. Lady Mama {Gene Ammons} (6:48)

A2. I Can't Help Myself {Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland} (4:10)

A3. Lucille {Harold Vick} (4:53)

A4. Fly Me {Ron Lockhart, Richard Druz} (3:08)

B1. Big Bad Jug {Gene Ammons} (7:47)

B2. Papa Was A Rolling Stone {Norman Whifield, Barrett Strong} (4:31)

B3. Fuzz {Dave Grusin} (4:27)

Credits:

Producer - Ozzie Cadena

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Photography - Tony Lane

Charles Earland - Soul Story (1972) [vinyl>flac]

Here’s another great album from the ‘Mighty Burner’.  It includes a mighty bunch of players such as Gary Chandler along with Houston Person, Virgil Jones, Maynard Parker, James Vaas and Buddy Caldwell. Earland puts together a variety of tunes to make this another soul jazz classic.

An incredible album from Charles Earland -- a real crossroads in his career, one in which his streamlined organ jazz sound of the early 70s takes a slightly more expansive turn -- as on his albums of the mid 70s. The record has slightly larger groups than usual -- with players that include Gary Chandler on trumpet, Houston Person on tenor, and Maynard Parker on guitar -- but the real charm comes from Charles, and his ability to put together some wicked arrangements on tunes that make them complicated and funky at the same time. The best example of this is the album's amazing 10 minute version of "Love Story" with nice baroque changes, cool arrangements, and wild funky bits -- but the whole thing's great, and other cuts include "Betty's Dilemma", "One For Scotty", and "My Scorpio Lady". © 1996-2010, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

Prestige Records; PR 10018, 1972

Recorded 3rd May, 1971 at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Track Listing:

A1. Betty's Dilemma {Charles Earland} (8:11)

A2. Love Story {Francis Lai} (9:58)

B1. One For Scotty {Charles Earland} (6:54)

B2. My Scorpio Lady {Charles Earland} (2:23)

B3. I Was Made To Love Her {Stevie Wonder} (2:48)

B4. Happy Medium {Charles Earland} (4:08)

Personnel:

Charles Earland - Organ, Vocals (#A2, B4)

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone (#A1, A2, B4)

James Vass - Alto & Soprano Saxophones, Flute (#A1, A2, B4)

Gary Chandler - Trumpet (#A1, A2, B4)

Arthur Grant, Jr. - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (#B1-B3)

Clifford Adams, Jr. - Trombone (#B1-B3)

Virgil Jones - Trumpet (#B1-B3)

Maynard Parker - Guitar

Jesse Kilpatrick - Drums (#A1, A2, B4)

Billy "Kentucky" Wilson - Drums (#B1-B3)

Buddy Caldwell - Congas, Percussion (#A1, A2, B4)

Arthur Jenkins Jr. - Congas (#B1-B3)