Thursday, December 07, 2017

'70s REISSUES FROM HANK CRAWFORD – CAJUN SUNRISE; SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL ‘77 - LOVE MUSIC; RON CARTER - ANYTHING GOES

HANK CRAWFORD – CAJUN SUNRISE

Hank Crawford comes across here as much as a soul star as a jazz musician – as he sings on half the album's tracks, and delivers his trademark alto solos throughout! The album's got a similar vibe to some of Crawford's other CTI/Kudu material of the 70s – but the presence of vocals also brings about something new – especially as Hank's singing nice has a vibe that's maybe more raspy and down to earth than the smooth sound of his horn! Arrangements are by David Matthews, and other players include Fred Wesley on trombone, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Hiram Bullock on guitar, and Cliff Carter on keyboards. Titles include the strong instrumental cut "New York's One Soulful City" – plus "Just The Way You Are", "Daytime Friends", "Evergreen", "Cajun Sunrise", "What A Difference You've Made In My Life", and "I Don't Want No Happy Songs". (Part of the CTI 50th Anniversary Special Collection!) ~ Dusty Groove

SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL ‘77 - LOVE MUSIC

Warm mellow magic from Sergio Mendes in the 70s – a great little album that's got a sweet electric feel! The set was recorded with help from Tom Scott and Bob Alcivar on arrangements, and has a sunny southern California feel that's a nice extension of Sergio's 60s work – yet which also takes his sound to a whole new level. There's still some traces of Braziliana in the mix, but there's also a lot more straight soulful pop – really working that twin female vocal lead style nicely, and wrapping it around some great tunes like "I Won't Last A Day Without You", "Hey Look At The Sun", "Love Music", "Killing Me Softly With His Song", "Where Is The Love", "Put A Little Love Away", and "Walk The Way You Talk". ~ Dusty Groove


RON CARTER - ANYTHING GOES

Ron Carter gets sweet and funky on this 70s classic for Kudu Records – a set that's a fair bit different than some of Carter's acoustic trio sides of the decade, or some of his more high-concept work in recent years! The approach here is free and flowing – larger arrangements penned by Carter and David Matthews – all in that sweet Kudu blend of soul and jazz, acoustic and electric elements. Ron himself plays acoustic bass and piccolo bass – alongside some great keyboards from Don Grolnick and Richard Tee. A few cuts have backing singers, but others are more instrumental – and titles include a great cover of "Barretta Theme (Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow)", plus "Anything Goes", "Big Fro", "Quarto Azul", and "De Samba". (Part of the CTI 50th Anniversary Special Collection!) ~ Dusty Groove


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