CALIFORNIA SOUL – FUNK & SOUL
FROM THE GOLDEN STATE 1967-1976
Damn funky work from the west coast
scene of the late 60s and early 70s – just the kind of tracks to dispel the
idea that too much sun or cannabis might have left the Cali scene a bit weak!
Instead, these cuts are right on the money, stone funky throughout, and light
years from any sort of California connotations you may have – no west coast
jazz, smooth AOR, or breezy Bay Area – and much more of the grit and groove
that was brewing up on funky 45s from all points east! Drums are heavy, guitars
are sharp, and vocals are super-righteous – filled with the kind of messages
that you could only get across on the sort of small label releases that make up
most of this set – and which also include a few unreleased tracks appearing
here for the first time ever. As usual with BGP, the package is as superb as
the music – great sound, detailed notes, and a wonderful track selection that
includes "Earthquake" by Rulie Garcia, "Hang Up (part 1)"
by Warm Excursion, "Pickin Cotton" by Johnny Talbot & De-Thangs,
"If She Wants To Go" by Choice Of Colors, "Just Ain't My
Day" by The Entertainers IV, "The Git Down (parts 1 & 2)" by
Little Johnny Hamilton & The Soul Pack, "Strike" by Union,
"I'm Gonna Speak Out" by Eddie Horan, "The Man" by Jesse
& Anita, "Check Me Out" by Little Denise, "The Sneak"
by The Douzer, "You Don't Know The Damage You've Done" by Vernon
Green & The Medallions, and "Tuned In Turned On" by Alvin
Robinson. ~ Dusty Groove
RICHARD POOLE / MARILYN CRISPELL /
GARY PEACOCK - IN MOTION
A very moody trio recording from this
hip combo – a group that features Marilyn Crispell on piano, Gary Peacock on
bass, and Richard Poole on drums! Poole's a player we're not that familiar
with, but he wins us over right away – and definitely earns the right to be in
the heady company of Crispell and Peacock with his careful sense of sound on
the drums, and his creative ways of shifting their role in the music and place
in the overall texture of the recording. Crispell's beautifully restrained, but
in a way that makes her even more powerful than ever – and Peacock sounds as
wonderful here as on his best records from years back – with a magnificent
sense of moment that seems to balance his playing perfectly. Titles include
"Dichotomy", "Ahzan", "Backseat Of The Galaxy", "Dichotomy",
"Blue Streets Up & Down", and "Lucid Air". ~ Dusty Groove
TOM TALLISTCH – GRATITUDE
Tenorist Tom Tallistch has gotten
plenty of love from our ears in recent years – and with a record as great as
this, he's bound to get plenty more! Tom comes on strong with a really deep
tenor sound – a mode that we might put in a range between Hank Mobley and Eric
Alexander – boldly rhythmic, but also very skilled at personal phrasing – with
solos that fly out effortlessly on top of a crack rhythm combo that features
Jon Davis on piano, Peter Brendler on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums – deeply
exploring the full range of the tenor, but never in a way that calls attention
to its process. Brian Charette joins the group on Hammond for two tracks – but
most of the set is from the quartet, who play mostly originals from Tom –
including "Terrain", "Kindred Spirit", "Refuge",
"Northeast", "Alternate Side", "Oblivion", and
"Rust Belt". ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment