SOME KINDA
MAGIC: THE SONGS OF JERRY MOSS
Soaring
sounds from the great Jerry Ross – a one man powerhouse on the Philly scene of
the 60s – and one of the guys who was really responsible for setting the city's
music scene on fire! A Jerry Ross tune is always marked by an upbeat, positive
sort of vibe – a mode that works equally well on soul, rock, or pop – all of
which are featured here – although even the latter two styles seem to have a
bit more of a soul vibe than you might expect, as Ross was something of a
blue-eyed maestro with a tune! The collection is long overdue – as Jerry's one
of those guys who had a big impact at the time, but maybe wasn't as out there
in the spotlight as some of his contemporaries – often just content to make
magic from the other side of the studio on great tunes like these. CD features
24 cuts in all – all with detailed notes on each song – and tracks include
"Love Love Love" by Bobby Hebb, "The 81" by Candy & The
Kisses, "You Better Believe It Baby" by Chubby Checker, "I'm
Gonna Make You Love Me" by Dee Dee Warwick, "Some Kinda Magic"
by Jerry Butler, "Together" by The Modern Ink Spots, "Eeny
Meeny" by The Showstoppers, "He's No Ordinary Guy" by Dee Dee
Sharp, "You Gave Me Somebody To Love" by The Sidekicks,
"Daylight Savin Time" by Sandy Edmonds, "These Will Be The Good
Old Days" by The Dreamlovers, "Gonna Be A Big Thing" by The Yum
Yums, "Help Yourself" by Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, "I've
Got Mine You Better Get Yours" by The Sapphires, and "You Don't Know
What You Got" by Willie Hobbs. ~ Dusty Groove
BETTY DAVIS
– THE COLUMBIA YEARS 1968-1969
A soul and
funk fan's dream come true – never-heard recordings by the legendary Betty
Davis, done for Columbia Records a few years before her debut album! At the
time, Betty was hanging with Miles Davis, and turning him onto the sounds of
fuzzy funk – and Miles actually produced these recordings, and used
instrumentation from key associates like Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Wayne
Shorter on reeds, and John McLaughlin on guitar – plus the mighty Larry Young
on keyboards! The whole thing's amazing – every bit as great as Betty's work
for the Just Sunshine label, but maybe even grittier – and with this unbridled
vibe that's totally wonderful – and we're stunned that this is the first we're
hearing of this music – but are mighty happy it's finally seen the light of
day. A few cuts also feature Davis with The Crusaders and Hugh Masekela – for a
groovy Cali soul sort of vibe – and titles include "It's My Life",
"Hangin Out", "Politician Man", "Down Home Girl",
"I'm Ready Willing & Able", "Born On The Bayou", and
"Live Love Learn". ~ Dusty
Groove
FREDDIE REDD
– WITH DUE RESPECT
It's easy to
give the great Freddie Redd due respect – especially when the pianist sounds
every bit as wonderful here as he did on his classic Blue Note albums from
decades back! Freddie's a hell of a pianist, with a very unique vibe – able to
be modern in conception, but lyrical in execution – sharp edges and angles
warmed with a sense of humanity that always has Redd's music making this
beautifully inherent sense, and drawing us right in, right away! The same seems
to also be the case for his sidemen – who really flower in the setting – a
lineup that includes John Mosca on trombone, Chris Byars on alto and flute, and
Stefano Doglioni on bass clarinet. Mosca's trombone is especially nice – a real
treat to hear in Redd's music – and titles include "A Night In
Nalen", "Reminiscing", "Blue Hue", "I'm Gonna Be
Happy", "OD", "Ole", "Lady J Blues", and
"Melanie". ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment