McCoy Tyner - Asante 1970

The final McCoy Tyner Blue Note album found the innovative pianist during a low point in his career. His records were not selling that well, his mentor John Coltrane had passed away three years earlier, and it was not obvious that Tyner would be able to continue struggling successfully to make a living out of music. Fortunately, his fortunes would soon rise when he signed with Milestone in 1972 and the critics began to rediscover him. Asante is a bit unusual, for the emphasis is on group interplay rather than individual solos. The four originals feature Tyner with altoist Andrew White, guitarist Ted Dunbar, bassist Buster Williams, drummer Billy Hart, Mtume on congas, and two spots for the voice of Songai. Worth investigating. AMG.

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Ruby Starr - Smokey Places 1977

Singer Ruby Starr was best-known as a backup singer for '70s macho man rockers Black Oak Arkansas, but also issued several recordings as a solo artist as well. Born Constance Henrietta Mierzwiak in Toledo, OH, in 1949, the future rock singer got her start at the age of nine (performing renditions of Brenda Lee songs) before changing her stage name to Connie Little and forming the Phil Spector-esque Connie & the Blu-Beats. Following stints in such obscure outfits as the Downtowners and the Blue Grange Ramblers (aka BGR), the latter of which mutated into the outfit Ruby Jones (a name that the singer was going by at the time). Signed to Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label, the recording of Ruby Jones' 1971 self-titled was even supervised by Mayfield. Shortly after the album's release, Black Oak Arkansas frontman Jim Dandy spotted Starr singing in an Evansville, IN, club and persuaded her to join his band, as she assumed her best-known stage name Ruby Starr. Starr toured with the band for several years (appearing on the albums Street Party and Balls of Fire, as well as their lone hit single "Jim Dandy") before leaving the group to form the Ruby Jones Band in 1976, and issuing Scene Stealer the same year. By the dawn of the '80s, Jones/Starr had formed Grey Star, issuing a pair of recordings -- 1981's self-titled debut and 1983's Telephone Sex -- before forming the group Henrietta Kahn in the late '80s. In the '90s, Starr was diagnosed with cancer, eventually passing away at home in Toledo in January of 1995. After her passing, several archival releases that featured Starr were issued, including the live Black Oak Arkansas recording, King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents, and a reissue of Ruby Jones' debut album, retitled as Stone Junkie. AMG.

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Lyn Collins - Think (about it) 1972

At the time of the release of Think (About It) in 1972, Lyn Collins had been a member of James Brown's performing revue for about two years. Her full-throated voice had earned her the nickname "the Female Preacher" and a shot to record her own album. Of course, the Godfather was in the producer's chair, writing four of the nine tracks, directing the J.B.'s as they laid down their usual funky grooves, and liberally adding vocals throughout. The title track is the main point of interest here; from Collins' throat-ripping vocals to the track's nasty groove to Brown's background interjections, this is a killer. (Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock later sampled the track for their rap classic "It Takes Two"). The rest of the record is a little uneven: "Just Won't Do Right" is a good doo wop-ish ballad with some churchy organ and great vocals by Collins and Brown, "Wheels of Life" is a nice little groover that sounds like vintage Aretha Franklin, and "Women's Lib" is a very slow ballad that lets Collins show off her anguished yowl of a vocal to its fullest. Where the album stumbles is on the covers of familiar songs. Her versions of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and the Gamble & Huff classic "Never Gonna Give You Up" are mediocre, and worst of all is her leaden take on "Fly Me to the Moon." Still, the record is worth tracking down for hardcore James Brown or funky soul fans. The less devoted should look for "Think (About It)" on one of the many compilations on which it appears. AMG.

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Jefferson Starship - Dragon Fly 1974

Credited to "Grace Slick/Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship," Dragon Fly was the transitional album between the various shifting aggregations Slick and Kantner had been recording with as Jefferson Airplane dissolved in the early '70s and the new Jefferson Starship (which essentially was the Airplane with a new guitarist and bassist -- Craig Chaquico and Pete Sears). But where such preceding efforts as Sunfighter, Manhole, and Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun had suffered from indulgence and a lack of focus, Dragon Fly, from the first note of its rocking leadoff track, "Ride the Tiger" (a chart single), was a unified effort. Like much of the Airplane catalog and all of the Starship albums to follow, the album suffered from the band's communal approach to song selection (the eight tracks credited 12 writers, half of them bandmembers), leading to an unevenness in the material. But unlike the recent Kantner/Slick/etc. albums, it sounded like the work of a seasoned band. (It didn't hurt that the album was cut just after a tour, instead of before one.) Especially notable was Chaquico, who on such tracks as "All Fly Away" and "Hyperdrive" demonstrated that he was a distinctive lead guitarist able to define the Starship sound just as the very different Jorma Kaukonen had the Airplane. But what turned Dragon Fly into an artistic and commercial triumph (it was the most popular album any of these people had been involved with in five years) was the return, for one song, of former Airplane singer Marty Balin, since that one song was the epic power ballad "Caroline," which became a radio favorite and remains one of the best songs the Airplane/Starship ever did. AMG.

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Ibis - Ibis 1974

Swedish jazz-rock band active from 1974 to early 80s. Ibis was founded in Stockholm in the 70s from the ashes of Vildkaktus. Olle Nilsson and others from Finspång / Norrköping had previously played in the 1960s group 14. In the 1970s he moved to Stockholm to study music and formed the group Vildkaktus along with some new friends. The group was among the pioneers of the rock scene in Swedish. They played progressive rock with influences from jazz and folk music that is said to have some similarities to Traffic. The group later renamed itself to the Ibis and released a more jazz influenced self titled LP in 1974. Six years later it was issued the 2nd album that featured a vastly different line-up with only Gösta Nilsson left from 1974's LP. They disbanded at the beginning of the 80s. 

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Secos & Molhados - Secos & Molhados II (1974)

Founded in 1971 by João Ricardo (singer/composer/violão/harmonica), who was soon joined by Ney Matogrosso (vocalist) and Gerson Conrad (vocalist/composer/violão), Secos & Molhados are inscribed in a privileged category of few bands and musicians who led Brazil from bossa nova through tropicália and then to Brazilian rock, a style that only blossomed in the '80s. Much of the group's importance, apart from the huge success of its first album, which sold 700,000 copies in 1973, was the heavy use of stage makeup and dramatic elements. These served as reference for a generation of underground bands that wouldn't accept MPB as their expression, finally drawing a definite outlook in Brazilian music in the '80s through collective contribution. João Ricardo, a journalist from the newspaper Última Hora (São Paulo), leader and founder of Secos & Molhados, was born in Ponte do Lima, Portugal in 1949. His father, poet/critic João Apolinário, was a major influence in his literary life, and would even contribute lyrics to two songs on the group's debut album, and one on the follow-up. Secos & Molhados ("dry and wet goods," a typical upcountry warehouse) were devised by Ricardo, who found in his two partners the perfect vehicles for his concepts. Ney, who would explode on the stage with his magnetic presence, his counter-tenor voice, and his extravagant androgynous outfit, remaining as the only successful artist of the trio after the end of the group, was introduced by singer/composer Luli, a common friend; Gerson was already a neighbor and friend of Ricardo's. In December 1972, the group did a successful series of shows in the nightclub Casa de Badalação e Tédio (São Paulo). With the presence of Ney, the spectacle was highly visual, dynamic, and energetic, exploring in a sexually ambiguous way the new sounds of the band. Texts of important poets like Cassiano Ricardo, Manuel Bandeira, Solano Trindade, and Vinícius de Moraes were used as song lyrics, which was unusual. In 1973, the group's success in live appearances yielded an invitation from Continental, and Secos & Molhados was recorded. The album sold 700,000 copies, a nationwide hit. Among the packed shows that followed, especially deserving of mention is the one performed in the Maracanãzinho stadium for 25,000 people (which was recorded and released in 1980), and in the Presidente Médici Gymnasium in Brasília. The following year, the group was featured on Mexican TV, and recorded a second LP, also titled Secos & Molhados, which also sold very well. Secos & Molhados could have anticipated Brazilian rock, but were dissolved before that could happen, in 1974. Disagreements about finances arose between Gerson and Ney, and between father and son, who were directly responsible for the disbanding. João Ricardo released an album in 1975, João Ricardo (Philips), and tried to resurrect the band four times, always with a different formation and no original members. Gerson continued to perform and record, and Ney departed for a highly successful career, ultimately exhibiting a true reverence for MPB. AMG.

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Campo Di Marte - Campo Di Marte 1973

Drummer Carlo Felice Marcovecchio formed Campo Di Marte in 1971, following the break-up of the 60s beat band I Califfi. Still based in that band's hometown of Florence, where the new group swiftly gained a strong live following, Campo Di Marti came to the attention of United Artists as that label looked to expand its European frontiers beyond the Kraut Rock arena with which it was already synonymous. In the event, Campo Di Marti proved the label's sole Italian signing, although the eponymous LP that resulted was certainly not to blame for that. Strongly influenced by classical music, beautifully bombastic but deeply melodic too, Campo Di Marti has been ranked among the finest Italian albums of 1973. However, despite a good critical reception, the LP disappeared, and by the end of the year, Campo Di Marti had followed it into oblivion. AMG.

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Duane & Gregg Allman - Duane & Gregg Allman 1972

Duane & Greg Allman is an album credited to brothers Duane and Gregg Allman, released by Bold Records in May 1972. The release is essentially an album-length demo recording of the 31st of February, a Tallahassee-based folk rock band featuring drummer Butch Trucks, bassist David Brown, and guitarist Scott Boyer. The 31st of February formed in 1965 and released their first, self-titled album in 1968. This second recording, according to Trucks, was intended to be their second album. It features Duane Allman on guitar and Gregg Allman on vocals. The two had been performing with the 31st of February for several months.

It was recorded at TK Studios in the Miami suburb of Hialeah, Florida in September 1968. Steve Alaimo engineered the sessions and later claimed producer's credit. The album is notable for the first recording of "Melissa", which was later re-recorded with the Allman Brothers Band.

Bold Records released the opening track "Morning Dew" as a single in 1972, backed with "I'll Change for You". The single didn't make it into the record charts, but the album peaked at No. 129 on the Billboard Top LPs during an eight-week run on the chart. The album was re-released several times after 1972 on various record companies and with varying cover art in various countries, including Germany and Japan, and is currently available digitally and on streaming services under the corrected title Duane and Gregg Allman.

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Ben Sidran - I Lead A Life 1972

Pianist, singer/songwriter, producer, author, and host Ben Sidran is a literate performer known for his engaging, jazz-influenced sound and laid-back, conversational style. Essentially a pianist/vocalist with a storytelling approach in the tradition of Mose Allison, Sidran grew from a supporting player with rocker Steve Miller to a solo performer, and to an award-winning radio and TV host. Along the way, he has produced albums for such luminaries as Allison, Van Morrison, Michael Franks, Rickie Lee Jones, and others. He has also hosted shows for National Public Radio and VH1. Born in Chicago in 1943, Sidran grew up in Racine, Wisconsin. In the early '60s, he played with Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs in a band called the Ardells at the University of Wisconsin. After Miller moved to San Francisco and secured a recording contract, he called on old friend Sidran to join him in the Steve Miller Band following the departure of original keyboardist Jim Peterman. Sidran contributed on the keys and as songwriter on several Miller albums beginning with Brave New World in 1969, co-writing the classic "Space Cowboy" and three other tunes on that LP. He also authored "Steve Miller's Midnight Tango" on Number 5 and collaborated with Miller on several other tunes through the years. He also produced his friend's underappreciated Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden in 1972. Sidran received a Ph.D. in philosophy/musicology, writing his doctoral thesis on African-American culture and music in the United States. The thesis was published to positive critical response in 1971 as Black Talk. Since 1972, he has released a number of solo albums in a cool, easy swinging style similar to Allison, including 1976's Free in America, 1977's The Doctor Is In, and 1978's A Little Kiss in the Night. While his early albums relied on acoustic instruments and lyrical references to his musical heroes, his later releases used electronic instruments and tasty synthesizers for an interesting sound best presented on albums like 1985's On the Cool Side and 1988's Too Hot to Touch. Through the years, Sidran and Miller have remained close friends, popping up from time to time on one another's recordings or live performances. In 1988, Sidran co-produced one of Miller's most interesting latter-day recordings, Born 2B Blue, a collection of jazz standards dressed up in the same cool, low-key arrangements Sidran employs on his own albums. Also during the '80s, Sidran began expanding his profile by hosting shows for National Public Radio, including the Jazz Alive series, for which he earned a Peabody Award. During the '90s, Sidran released a number of albums on his own Go Jazz label, including 1994's Life's a Lesson, 1996's Mr. P's Shuffle, and 1999's The Concert for García Lorca. He also appeared on television, hosting the Ace Award-winning New Visions program on VH1. Also during this period, he collaborated with Van Morrison and Georgie Fame on the tribute album Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison. He then formed the Nardis label with his son, and delivered such efforts as 2004's Nick's Bump, 2006's Live à Fip, 2009's Dylan Different, and 2013's Don't Cry for No Hipster. In 2017 Sidran returned with Picture Him Happy, a philosophical production centered on the myth of Sisyphus and featuring backing from guitarist Will Bernard, bassist Will Lee, saxophonist John Ellis, and others. AMG.

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Eric Burdon & The Animals - Eric Is Here 1967

During the months after Eric Burdon and the remaining members of the original Animals split, the singer cut this album backed by an orchestra and doing songs by Randy Newman, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and other pop-music fixtures -- quite a turnaround for the blues purist Burdon, and also very effective as mainstream pop music, including the U.S. hit "Help Me Girl." To add to the general confusion surrounding this material, some of it seems to have been recorded with the original Animals, or at sessions conducted while they were still together. Several songs, including "Help Me Girl," show up on Sequel Records' Inside Looking Out. AMG.

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Johnny Almond Music Machine - Hollywood Blues 1970

b. 20 July 1946, Enfield, Middlesex, England. This accomplished saxophonist and flautist rose to prominence during the mid-60s as a member of London R&B group Tony Knight’s Chessmen. In 1965 he replaced Clive Burrows in Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band and two years later joined the successful Alan Price Set. This group became known as the Paul Williams Set following the original leader’s departure and the same unit also formed the basis for a 1969 venture, Johnny Almond’s Music Machine. Williams (vocals), Jimmy Crawford (guitar), Geoff Condon (trumpet), John Wiggins (keyboards), Roger Sutton (bass) and Alan White (drums) were featured on Patent Pending, a propulsive set drawing inspiration from both jazz and blues, but Almond subsequently disbanded the line-up, and a second album, Hollywood Blues, was completed with the aid of American musicians.

A session musician on albums by Fleetwood Mac (Mr. Wonderful) and John Mayall (Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton), the saxophonist joined the latter in 1969 in a pioneering ‘drummer-less’ unit captured on The Turning Point and Empty Rooms. Here Almond forged a partnership with guitarist Jon Mark, which resulted in the formation of a breakaway act, Mark-Almond in 1971. This imaginative ensemble completed a series of albums during the 70s and continued their partnership into the 80s. AMG.

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Dusty Springfield - The Look of Love 1967

A true mixed bag, from the sensual title track to the melodramatic "If You Go Away," and some fine soul stylings in between, most notably "Small Town Girl" (check out the choruses) and "I've Got a Good Thing." This is the last of Springfield's Philips albums to be released in America (she signed with Atlantic in the U.S. soon after, and the label declined to release most of her Philips' output here). AMG. listen here

Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd - Jazz Samba 1962

"One of the very best Bossa Nova Jazz albums, Jazz Samba marked the beginning of the Bossa Nova wave in the United States and, more generally, in the West. This wave reached its peak in the mid-1960s. Presented as a collaboration between guitarist Charlie Byrd and saxophonist Stan Getz, it was heavily inspired, conceived, and produced by Charlie Byrd alone. Legend has it that Stan Getz and his ego stole the show by following up with the album Getz Gilberto, released in 1963. The great strength of Jazz Samba is its homogeneity, although, in my opinion, it is dominated by the superb version of Antônio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado." There is only one composition by Charlie Byrd on Jazz Samba: "Samba Dees Days." The other tracks are Samba or Bossa Nova standards such as "Samba Triste" by Baden Powell and Billy Blanco or "Samba de Uma Nota So" by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Jazz Samba is a lovely album that succeeds in creating a rather relaxed atmosphere. It bridges the gap between pure Brazilian Bossa Nova and mainstream American Jazz. Unfortunately for him and for us, Charlie Byrd would never again produce an album of such quality." D.D. AMG

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Plus - Plus 1972

Belgian jazz/soul rock group that evolved from The J.J. Band after recruiting Leslie Kent. They recorded one album under this name. 

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Roy Ayers - Coffy (OST) 1973

A blaxploitation masterpiece on par with Curtis Mayfield's Superfly and Isaac Hayes' Shaft, Roy Ayers' soundtrack for the 1973 Pam Grier vehicle Coffy remains one of the most intriguing and evocative film scores of its era or any other. Ayers' signature vibes create atmospheres and textures quite distinct from your average blaxploitation effort, embracing both heavy, tripped-out funk ("Brawling Broads") and vividly nuanced soul-jazz ("Aragon"). The vocal numbers are no less impressive, in particular the rapturous opening cut, "Coffy Is the Color." Richly cinematic grooves, as inventive and cohesive as any of Ayers' vintage Ubiquity LPs. Highly recommended. AMG.

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