Willis Jackson - Star Bag (1968) [vinyl]

Not for the alienated, compulsively cool generation that likes to hide its feelings, if any, behind oversize shades and make like it's very unhip to have a ball, is the tenor sax of Willis "Gator" Jackson, from Florida long ago, veteran of several thousands of wailing R&B sessions from here to eternity. Gator has that thing on the stove all the time, and never stops cooking. The ingredients are a big, fat, Black tone; roots, main; soul power; a time that relaxes right behind the beat, just enough to make you shut your eyes, rock your head, and pop your fingers, and murmur Oh yes, Gator, tell your story; a melodic thing that's as graceful as a Bird in flight; a chord sense that colors every tree a different hue; and always, that out-back tone. The cats (and one chick) Prestige gathered up to surround Willis on this date are all, as the album title clues you, stars in their own bag on the Soul Circuit: Trudy Pitts on organ, Wild Bill Jennings, the guitar man whose sound is as distinctive as his stance (he's lefthanded); Jimmy Lewis on Fender bass providing a solid underpinning to the chords; and swinging Bobby Donaldson on drums, abetted by Victor Allende on conga drums. ~ Excerpts from Liner Notes, Ralph Berton (June 1968).

Prestige Records, PRST 7571, 1968

Recorded 22^nd March, 1968 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Willis Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Trudy Pitts - Organ [Hammond B-3]

“Wild” Bill Jennings - Guitar

Jimmy Lewis - Electric Bass

Bobby Donaldson - Drums

Victor Allende - Conga Drums

Track Listing:

A1. Star Bag {Willis Jackson} (7:14)

A2. The Girl From Ipanema {Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes, Norman Gimbel} (5:42)

A3. Good To The Damn Bone {Willis Jackson, Clarence Lewis, William Robinson} (5:16)

B1. More {Riz Ortolani, Nino Oliviero, Norman Newell} (7:07)

B2. Smoke Rings {Rudolf Friml, Otto Harbach} (5:51)

B3. Yellow Days {Willis Jackson} (5:35)

Credits:

Producer - Cal Lampley

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Design - Don Schlitten
Cover Art - Irving Riggs

Liner Notes - Ralph Burton (June 1968)

Trudy Pitts - A Bucketful Of Soul (1967, 68) [re-rip>true flac]

Wow! This is the best ever Trudy Pitts album, and the one in which she and Mr. C really get down to business on tracks like "Bucketful of Soul" and the stellar "Love for Sale" (an early Jazz Juice groover). Wilbert Longmire complements the trio on guitar, and the whole thing stands as perfect proof of why Trudy Pitts is one of our favorite artists of all time. Groovy, moody, and mellow - all at the same time. Organ, vocals, and guitar. © Dusty Groove America, Inc.

Prestige Records, PR 7560, 1968

Recorded 20^th December, 1967 (#A1,B2) and 8^th February, 1968 (#A2-B1,B3-B5)
at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Trudy Pitts - Organ, Vocals (#A4,B1,B3,B5)

Wilbert Longmire - Guitar

Bill Carney - Drums, Vocals (#A4,B1,B3,B5)

Track Listing:

A1. Bucket Full Of Soul {Bill Carney} (3:41)

A2. My Waltz {Trudy Pitts} (3:39)

A3. Love For Sale {Cole Porter} (7:12)

A4. Satin Doll {Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Mercer} (2:56)

B1. The Shadow Of Your Smile {Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster} (2:57)

B2. Renaissance {Audubon Schere} (2:39)

B3. Lil' Darlin' {Neal Hefti} (4:13)

B4. Come Dawn {Trudy Pitts} (4:21)

B5. Please Keep My Dream {Bill Carney, Sonny Truitt} (2:24)

Credits:
Producer - Cal Lampley

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

For a great article on Trudy Pitts see:

Trudy Pitts: Extraordinary Pianist & Master Of The Hammond B-3