V.A. - Catch My Soul OST 1973

Another one from the 'musicals' bin, and it's damn good! Completely unexpected from the cover and insert, this album features several wicked swamp funk numbers, including the excellent Chug-A-Lug and Looking Back. You must have seen this a thousand times in the record bins, and now we're giving you justification to buy it - you'll be very (pleasantly) surprised! Blaxploitation.com.

listen here

Isao Suzuki - Cadillac Woman 1977

Isao Suzuki is the grand master of jazz in Japan. He is a bassist, multi instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, and bandleader. He was born on January 3, 1933 in Tokyo.

When he was a college student back in December 1953 he went to see Louis Armstrong All Stars in Tokyo. Milt Hinton, the best player ever, 43 at the time, was playing. Luckily Isao could see him playing from the front seat, and he was totally taken aback by Milt’s bass. When Milt said, “I pick and you clap,” and played solo bass very casually for 15 minutes, Isao was so moved by the sound that he couldn’t stop crying. Milt smiled at Isao when he noticed that Isao was so moved and crying. Isao was so fascinated by his performance, so three days later, Isao asked his mother to buy him a double bass.

Some time after Isao got the bass, a bandleader of a strip joint asked him if he wanted to play for them. The question, or his answer rather, would become the first step onto a professional path. At that time, live performing was very common and good strip theater had jazz players. Isao couldn’t do anything at the beginning, but he was able to read music scores and play in about six months. Among the customers frequenting the strip joint was guitarist Tony Tekiseira, a G.I. working with the military band. One day Tony invited Isao to the U.S. military base in Tokyo. He liked the way Isao played, and Isao joined his band. Isao spent three or four years there and gained confidence, because he played with real American jazzman.

In 1960, Isao joined a very popular band named George Kwaguchi and Big Four and sometimes it became George Kwaguchi and Big Four plus one, when Sadao Watanabe joined in. Isao was having lots of jam session at that time. Once Tony Scott, the clarinet player, listened to his performance and Tony wanted to play with him. Tony lived in 1960 to 1965, and joined hands with Isao throughout 1962 with the legendary Tony Scott quartet. After Tony left the band, Hidehiko Matsumoto joined and it became Hidehiko Matsumoto Quartet. This is where Isao met Paul Chambers. In 1964, lots of great musicians such as Miles Davis, Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers came to Japan for “the first world jazz festival.” Hidehiko Matsumoto Quartet was the only Japanese band to join the festival, then Isao met Paul and they spent lots of time together.

In 1966, Isao joined the Sadao Watanabe quartet, with pianist Masabumi Kikuchi and drummer Masahiko Togashi. After he quit Sadao Watanabe quartet, he became a band leader of a house band at Five Spot in Jiyugaoka that was ran by Teruo Isono who is very famous jazz critic in japan. Isao played every day for almost two years. Isono knew lots of people, and he brought great musicians such as Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, Winton Kelly and Art Blakey, then Isao often played with them. Especially Blakey came there often and once he said, ‘Isao, come to Ner York and we can play together.’ So in 1970 he went to New York at the encouragement of Art Blakey and officially joined his lengendary group JAZZ MESSENGERS. He even stayed at Blakey’s place. During this time, he worked and recorded with Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynton Kelly, Bobby Timmons, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Sun Ra and others. Isao spent about a year with Art Blakey’s band and then returned to Japan.

Since his return to Japan, Isao has contributed to the development of many young musicians enlisting them as members of his band 'OMA SOUND', a practice which has kept his sound on the cutting-edge of progressive jazz to this day. “This might be Art Blakey’s influence. But in music, especially jazz, you don’t need to say anything. Experience is more important than anything else,” Isao said.

In 1971, guitarist Baden Powell came to Japan to have concerts tour and recordings. Isao was replacing an original bassist. “Despite of Isao Suzuki’s unplanned contribution he proved to be and equal and versatile musician, finding his way between Alfredo and Baden. It can only be guessed how this setting with the Japanese bass player influenced his future studio work. At the end of this year he sould seek again the collaboration with a professional Jazz bassist recording enough material for two records.” (http://www.brazil-on-guitar.de)

On his solo album “Self-Portrait” (1980), Suzuki played 20 or more instruments, sealing his unique standing in the Japanese jazz scene. Now, with more than 60 albums released, including several winners of the prestigious Japan Jazz Prize award, Suzuki's reputation as a unique leader of jazz in Japan has been secured.

His group called OMA SOUND was participated on Miri International Jazz Festival in 2008, and JAVA Jazz Festival in 2009.

listen here

Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs and Englishmen 1970

Listening to this CD brings back a lot of memories. Mad Dogs & Englishmen was just about the most elaborate album that A&M Records had ever released, back in 1971, a double LP in a three-panel, fold-out, gatefold sleeve, with almost 80 minutes of music inside and a ton of photos, graphics, and annotation wrapping around it. A live recording done in tandem with a killer documentary film of the same U.S. tour, it was recorded at the Fillmore East, where the movie was a cross-country affair, and the two were, thus, completely separate entities -- also, as people couldn't "buy" the film in those days, the double LP has lingered longer in the memory, by virtue of its being on shelves, and also being taken off those shelves to be played. Unlike a lot of other "coffee table"-type rock releases of the era, such as Woodstock and The Concert for Bangladesh, people actually listened to Mad Dogs & Englishmen -- most of its content was exciting, and its sound, a veritable definition of big-band rock with three dozen players working behind the singer, was unique. The CD offers a seriously good sound, whether it's just Joe Cocker and a pianist and organist in the opening of "Bird on a Wire," or the entire band going full-tilt on "Cry Me a River"; the remastering was set at a high volume level and there was a decent amount of care taken to get the detail right, so you can appreciate the presence of the multiple drummers, and the legion of guitarists and singers, plus the multiple keyboard players. The lead guitar and solo piano on "Feelin' Alright," for example, come through, but so do the 34 other players and singers behind the lead. This record was also just as much a showcase for Leon Russellas it was for Joe Cocker, which A&M probably didn't mind a bit, as Russell was selling millions of records at the time. As is now known, and it's recounted in the new notes, the tour from which this album was drawn all but wiped out Joe Cocker -- on a psychic level -- because the music was presented on such a vast scale (and there is a moment in the movie where he mentions breaking up his former backing group, the Grease Band, with a hint of regret in his voice) and his own contribution was so muted by Russell's work as arranger and bandleader. He may well have been the "victim" of a "hijacking" of sorts, but the musical results, apart from the dubious "Give Peace a Chance," are difficult to argue about upon hearing this record anew, decades after the fact -- it's almost all bracing and beautiful. AMG.

listen here

Fever Tree - For Sale 1970

With every album Fever Tree made, their '60s psychedelia and customary folk-pop style wore off a little more, which is why their fifth and last album, For Sale, is their weakest. The slightest distinction that the group once had has disappeared completely, and their greatest asset comes in the way of Grant Johnson's rich organ work. Backup vocalists the Blackberries offer up a slight gospel tinge through two or three of the tracks, but even these short bursts of musical flavor aren't enough to release For Sale from its conventional domain. Vocalist Dennis Keller sounds like a cross between a young Neil Diamond and David Clayton-Thomas, which is most apparent on Arthur Lee's "She Comes in Colors" and on a passable attempt at covering Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You." The 13-minute "Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)" has its moments, but by this point the band has lost any novelty that was scarce in the first place. Any fans who are interested in investigating Fever Tree's catalog should stick to the first couple of albums, which sound noticeably fresher than their later efforts. AMG.

listen here

Next - Dust Shoes 1971

Winnipeg's Next were an offshoot of regional heroes The Fifth. After a fairly successful run of singles in Canada, The Fifth split in 1970 with several members of the band defecting to other acts in the region. One such product of the split was Next. The band were quickly able to secure a contract with Warner Brothers and by late 1971, "Dusty Shoes" was released. With somewhat limited exposure and very poor distribution, the album sank without a trace and Next were history by the end of 1973. Members would later turn up in The Guess Who, Harlequin and The Litter.

"Dusty Shoes" is very much typical of the era from which it sprang. Overall, it's tastefully arranged organ/guitar driven pseudo hard rock that recalls Grand Funk Railroad quite a bit in places. With the soulfully gritty vocals of George Belanger, everything here has an edge which makes much of the material here sound harder than it actually is. That subtle dynamic is what carries most of this album and makes it a truly satisfying listen.

listen here

Deep Purple - Made In Japan 1972

Recorded over three nights in August 1972, Deep Purple's Made in Japan was the record that brought the band to headliner status in the U.S. and elsewhere, and it remains a landmark in the history of heavy metal music. Since reorganizing with singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover in 1969, Deep Purple had recorded three important albums -- Deep Purple in Rock, Fireball, and Machine Head -- and used the material to build a fierce live show. Made in Japan, its selections drawn from those albums, documented that show, in which songs were drawn out to ten and even nearly 20 minutes with no less intensity, as guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and organist Jon Lord soloed extensively and Gillansang in a screech that became the envy of all metal bands to follow. The signature song, of course, was "Smoke on the Water," with its memorable riff, which went on to become an American hit single. But those extended workouts, particularly the moody "Child in Time," with Gillan's haunting falsetto wail and Blackmore's amazingly fast playing, and "Space Truckin'," with Lord's organ effects, maintained the onslaught, making this a definitive treatment of the band's catalog and its most impressive album. By stretching out and going to extremes, Deep Purple pushed its music into the kind of deliberate excess that made heavy metal what it became, and their audience recognized the breakthrough, propelling the original double LP into the U.S. Top Ten and sales over a million copies. AMG.

listen here

The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour 1971

The best-realized of their classic albums, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour was also the last of the group's albums for almost a decade to be done under reasonably happy and satisfying circumstances -- for the last time with this lineup, they went into the studio with a reasonably full song bag and a lot of ambition and brought both as far as time would allow, across close to four months (interrupted by a tour of the United States right in the middle). Virtually everywhere you listen on this record, the lush melodies and the sound of Michael Pinder's Mellotron (augmented here by the Moog synthesizer and a brace of other instruments) just sweep over the music, and where they don't, Justin Hayward's guitar pyrotechnics on pieces like "The Story in Your Eyes" elevate the hard rocking side of the music, in tandem with John Lodge's muscular bass work -- which still leaves plenty of room for a cello here, and a grand piano there, on top of Ray Thomas' flute, and Graeme Edge's ever more ambitious percussion. "Emily's Song." "Nice to Be Here," and "My Song" are among the best work the group ever did, and "The Story in Your Eyes" is the best rock number they ever cut, with a bracing beat and the kind of lyrical complexity one more expected out of George Harrison at the time. Sad to say, the group would never be this happy with an album again -- at least not for a lot of years -- or with their commitment to being a group, though they would leave one more highly worthwhile album before taking a hiatus for most of the rest of the 1970s. AMG.

listen here

Miriam Makeba - Keep Me In Mind 1970

Although a respectable effort, Keep Me in Mind is a bit of an oddity in the context of Miriam Makeba's career. While she's justifiably most known for the records she did with a strong connection to South African music, much of the arrangements, and certainly some of the material, of this 1970 LP indicated that there were hopes of getting her to cross over to the soul and pop audience. The production often had a solid soul feel, and certainly the covers of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Down on the Corner," and the Beatles' "In My Life" were -- though classic songs all -- not exactly in sync with the kind of repertoire she'd featured throughout most of her discography to that point. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, they're among the weakest selections here, though "In My Life" isn't bad, somewhat recalling Nina Simone's frequent forays into rock/pop/soul hits during the same era. Better by some measure are her outings into fairly gutsy pop-soul on "Brand New Day," the dramatic "Measure the Valleys," and her own composition "Lumumba," though these do sound like tracks that could have been the work of most any above-average Aretha Franklin-influenced soul singer, rather than efforts bearing Makeba's distinctive imprint. Far more of her South African roots come through on her non-English-language originals "Kulala," "Ibande," and "Tululu," and while these aren't devoid of contemporary soul influences, they're the most interesting tracks on the LP. It adds up to a record that has its merits and puts Makeba into a more Americanized pop-soul setting than much of her work, but isn't one to turn to as an example of her achievements as an African music innovator. AMG.

listen here

General Johnson - General Johnson 1976

Leader of Chairmen of the Board and a top R&B songwriter/producer as well, General Johnsonenjoyed a long career stretching from his debut during the mid-'50s glory days of R&B to his status as a turn-of-the-century beach music icon. Born and raised in the seaside city of Norfolk, VA, Johnsonbegan singing in church with his father at the age of six, and made his recording debut at 12 when his group the Humdingers recorded a few unreleased sides for Atlantic. Several years later, after a change of name to the Showmen, Johnson and the group moved to the New Orleans hit factory Minit for the 1961 rock & roll anthem "It Will Stand." The single charted both in 1961 and 1964, but the Showmen only recorded a dozen sides for Minit and Swan before breaking up in 1968.

General Johnson briefly attempted a solo career, but wound up in Detroit attached to the fledgling Invictus label helmed by Motown hitmakers Holland-Dozier-Holland. With Danny Woods (from the Showmen), Harrison Kennedy, and Eddie Custis, Johnson formed Chairmen of the Board. Their first single, "Give Me Just a Little More Time," became a big pop hit in 1970, closely followed by "(You've Got Me) Dangling on a String" and "Everything's Tuesday." Johnson wrote another of the group's moderate hits, "Pay to the Piper," and several of his songs became hits for other artists: "Patches" made the Top Ten for Clarence Carter (Jerry Reed also recorded a country hit), and fellow Invictus act Honey Cone hit the charts with his "Want Ads," "Stick Up," and "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show." Chairmen of the Board slipped from the charts during the mid-'70s, and while General Johnson and Danny Woodsstuck together for a time (as the Chairmen), Johnson finally earned his solo career in 1979. His self-titled album for Arista was a minor hit, translating soul into the contemporary sounds of disco. Johnson reunited with Woods early in the '80s, and the pair toured the Southeast beach music circuit to much success. The early '90s brought another album, What Goes Around Comes Around, also recorded with Woods. General Johnson died at his home in suburban Atlanta, GA on October 13, 2010, reportedly from lung cancer. He was 67 years old. AMG.

listen here

Mary Lou Williams - Presents Black Christ of the Andes 1964

Complex and brooding suites by jazz artists have often received mixed reviews. Whether hailed as brilliant and visionary or slammed as self-indulgent and trite -- Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige, Charles Mingus' infamous Town Hall Concert, or even Wynton Marsalis' Blood on the Fields all come to mind -- these works are, if nothing else, great risks for the artists involved. At the time of its initial performance, "Black Christ of the Andes" (or "St. Martin de Porres") was called everything from "blues stripped of its accent" to a "hokey prayer," prompting Williams to cut it from her repertoire before the release of the LP in 1964. An unfortunate fate for a very enjoyable and, now, highly regarded piece of music. Williams explained her pioneering concept of pairing jazz with spirituals as an attempt to heal the disparity between the gifted nature of the African-American and his tendency toward the worst kinds of sin. In fact, the original title for this LP was Music for Disturbed Souls. Certainly, by 1962 others had employed the modes and feel of the church into jazz, but Williams' use of the Ray Charles Singers (no relation to the other Ray Charles) added an element that made "St. Martin," an a cappella choral piece, a much more church-oriented affair than, say, John Coltrane's "Spiritual." Williams' vision, like Coltrane's, was at times dark and sobering while at others full of warmth and hope. It would have been completely out of place, however, at the Village Vanguard. This is a piece that belongs, if not in the church, then certainly out of the nightclub circuit. Other tracks on this LP, though, like her sublime rendition of "It Ain't Necessarily So," would have been welcome in their dark and smoky confines. Otherwise, expect a jump blues number, a handful of trio cuts (some featuring Percy Heath), and a smattering of various vocal combinations throughout. A number of styles are represented here and they weave amongst one another with ease and grace. This is a very enjoyable record with some especially rewarding piano solos by Williams. AMG.

listen here

Bud Freeman - Song of the Tenor 1975

When Bud Freeman first matured, his was the only strong alternative approach on the tenor to the harder-toned style of Coleman Hawkins and he was an inspiration for Lester Young. Freeman, one of the top tenors of the 1930s, was also one of the few saxophonists (along with the slightly later Eddie Miller) to be accepted in the Dixieland world, and his oddly angular but consistently swinging solos were an asset to a countless number of hot sessions.

Freeman, excited (as were the other members of the Austin High School Gang in Chicago) by the music of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, took up the C-melody sax in 1923, switching to tenor two years later. It took him time to develop his playing, which was still pretty primitive in 1927 when he made his recording debut with the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans. Freeman moved to New York later that year and worked with Red Nichols' Five Pennies, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Ben Pollack, Joe Venuti, Gene Kardos, and others. He starred on Eddie Condon's memorable 1933 recording "The Eel." After stints with Joe Haymes and Ray Noble, Freeman was a star with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra and Clambake Seven (1936-1938) before having a short unhappy stint with Benny Goodman (1938). He led his short-lived but legendary Summe Cum Laude Orchestra (1939-1940) which was actually an octet, spent two years in the military, and then from 1945 on, alternated between being a bandleader and working with Eddie Condon's freewheeling Chicago jazz groups. Freeman traveled the world, made scores of fine recordings, and stuck to the same basic style that he had developed by the mid-'30s (untouched by a brief period spent studying with Lennie Tristano). Bud Freeman was with the World's Greatest Jazz Band (1968-1971), lived in London in the late '70s, and ended up back where he started, in Chicago. He was active into his eighties, and a strong sampling of his recordings are currently available on CD. AMG.

listen here

Jimmy Rushing - Rushing Lullabies 1959

Jimmy Rushing recorded several albums for Columbia during 1959-60; although in his mid-50s, he was still in peak form. This CD reissue (which has a previously unissued "The Road of Love") finds Rushing joined by both pianist Ray Bryant and organist Sir Charles Thompson, Buddy Tate on tenor, guitarist Skeeter Best, bassist Gene Ramey and drummer Jo Jones. The combination works quite well, and Rushing, in addition to a few blues, puts his own stamp on such numbers as "'Deed I Do," "Pink Champagne," "I Cried For You" and even "Good Rockin' Tonight." Bryant and Tate in particular have strong solos (both are excellent on "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me"), and with Rushing in such good shape, this is an easily enjoyable mainstream swing session. AMG.

listen here

Hank Jones - The Talented Touch 1958

Hank Jones worked together often with guitarist Barry Galbraith, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Osie Johnson in various recording sessions featuring many styles of music, backing singers, or anchoring larger ensembles, so it is no surprise they were featured as a working quartet on this 1958 Capitol LP. The dozen tracks mix standards (including "Star Eyes," "The Blue Room," and "My One and Only Love"), a few pop songs of the period, as well as a crisp interpretation of Gigi Gryce's "Blue Light" and the leader's one original, "Let Me Know," which is a modified approach to boogie-woogie. The tracks are rather brief, running less than three and a half minutes each, though musicians the caliber of these four gentleman can say a lot more musically in that time frame than most can during a ten-minute performance. Although this album isn't one of Hank Jones' most essential dates as a leader, it is worth purchasing if it can be found. AMG.

listen here

Alan James Eastwood - Seeds 1971

Alan Eastwood was well known as a great drummer but his talents extended to singing and also songwriting at which he was prolific. Alan Eastwood joined The Brumbeats - formerly The Plazents who were signed to a Decca recording contract in 1964. The band also recorded under the name 'The Merseyboys' and had a now rare album of Beatles songs released on the famous Vee-Jay label in the U.S.A. As a member of The Brumbeats, Alan first tasted fame when the band played support for and appeared on the same bill as The Beatles when they performed in Birmingham.

Alan went on to form his own blues-based trio called The Exception with former Brumbeats guitarist Roger Hill and bassist Dave Pegg - later to join Fairport Convention. The Exception was very much Alan's band as he wrote their original material and sang the lead vocals as well as playing harmonica - not the easiest job on stage as he also played drums at the same time! The group had an album and several good singles released on the President Records label including 'The Eagle Flies On Friday', 'Rub It Down', and 'Tailor Made Babe'. Alan also had his own solo single 'Blackbird Charlie' issued on President in 1968 as well as a now super-rare solo album titled 'Seeds... Alan James Eastwood'. Thanks to Rockasteria.

listen here

Sir Douglas Quintet - Mendocino 1969

Chart success for the title song led to a hurried release for this band's second album, although perhaps the most famous song, "She's About a Mover, originated a few years prior with another version. Listeners will probably be more familiar with the version heard here, the one with the freaky feedback guitar solo and fake fadeout that oldies disc jockeys like to yabber over. This and "Mendocino" are only two of the many nearly perfect tracks on this record, some of which give off the illusion (perhaps an accurate one) that they were simply tossed off without a whole lot of preperation. "Texas Me" is genius on triple levels: there is the poetry of the lyrics, the soulful delivery from the singer, and finally the haunting recording fat with echoey, multitracked vocal and fiddle. When the listener reaches the end, "Baby It Just Don't Matter" it is as if one has strolled through an old neighborhood searching for a lost sound in the air, only to find a good, friendly rock band is jamming in a garage right down the block. The players are the classic Sir Douglas Quintet line-up including Augie Meyer. AMG.

listen here