A lost treasure from R&B pioneer Larry Williams—the only album he ever issued in the 70s, recorded a few years before his untimely and mysterious death! The 1978 Fantasy set's got a heavy funk feel on most numbers—a great reworking of Williams' earlier groove, set to backings that feature Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker on horny horns, plus Rudy Copeland on keyboards! The approach is similar to the 70s grooves used by Larry's west coast contemporary Johnny Guitar Watson—although sadly, this album never brought Williams the same sort of comeback fame. Gene Sculatti contributes liner notes that delve into Williams’ curious career. ~ Real Gone Music
Two lost smokers from the man Lionel Hampton called “The greatest vibes player in the world,” Johnny Lytle—both very different from anything else he ever recorded! 1971’s The Soulful Rebel has a great blend of Hammond and Fender Rhodes along with the vibes—soaring out in a massively funky sextet with bass from Ron Carter and congas from Ray Barretto—both of whom take Johnny's earlier groove into a 70s jazz funk mode. 1972’s People & Love is even more impressive—and has Lytle's vibes working with impressionistic larger arrangements—in a style that's like Bobby Hutcherson on mid-‘70s Blue Note, or Milt Jackson on CTI. Notes by Scott Yanow explore the recordings and career of this unsung jazz giant. ~ Real Gone Music
Sea Level started as an Allman Brothers offshoot, boasting three members (keyboardist Chuck Leavell, percussionist Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson and bassist Lamar Williams) from the mid-‘70s edition of the band, but became a major act in its own right with its tasty blend of jazz, blues and Southern rock (in other words, they would have fit nicely into today’s jam band scene). These two albums both came out in 1978 but chart major changes in the group; Cats on the Coast saw the addition of guitarist David Causey, percussionist George Weaver and multi-instrumentalist Randall Bramblett to the line-up, while Jaimoe and Weaver left and drummer Joe English joined for On the Edge. Despite the changing line-ups, these two records are remarkably consistent affairs featuring such signature Sea Level songs as “That’s Your Secret” and “A Lotta Colada;” they have, however, both been out of print for about a decade and command big bucks online. This Real Gone reissue offers both records on a single, 70 minutes-plus CD, with notes by Scott Schinder…rediscover one of the most underrated outfits of the ‘70s! ~ Real Gone Music
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