The Lightmen - 1970 - Free As You Wanna Be

The Lightmen - Free As You Wanna Be

JUDNELL LP 1001 1970

Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Alto Flute – Ronnie Laws
Bass – Ed Rose
Conga – Mike O'Connor
Drums – Bubbha Thomas, William Jefferies
Guitar – Kenny Abair
Tenor Sax – Doug Harris
Trombone – Joe Singleton
Trumpet – Carl Adams


Recorded on 26th June 1970.

Here's the title track from this incredibly rare Texas joint on Judnell. The first recording of the Lightmen, before they went on to produce Fancy Pants and Energy Control Center as the "plus one" line-up.

Since people of African decent in America began to openly question the constitution of the United States over their rights as American citizens, a new frontier of thinking among all the people has developed. Among those in the struggle in Houston, Texas, Bubbha Thomas is very active in fighting to achieve not only our civil rights but out human rights as well. I asked him at a Sunday morning rehearsal, "How free are black people in America? ... after giving the question some serious thought, Bubbha replied, "free as they wanna be." With the answer to the question came the name to a tune i had written, the title tune of this album. After the head of tune, there should be no sense of time; each muscian has the freedom to be free musically, as he can imagine himself. 

Pete Yellin - 1973 - It's The Right Thing

Pete Yellin - It's The Right Thing 

Label: Mainstream Records  

Catalog#: MRL 397  

Format: Vinyl, LP, Gatefold

Released: 1973 

Credits: Acoustic Guitar - Jack Wilkins , Roland Prince 

Bass [Acoustic, Fender] - Clint Houston 

Congas - Lawrence Killian 

Drums - Darryl Washington , David Lee, Jr. 

Electric Piano - Hal Galper 

Flute - Mario Rivera (2) , Pete Yellin* 

Percussion - Angel Allendй* 

Producer - Bob Shad 

Saxophone [Alto] - Pete Yellin* 

Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano, Baritone] - Mario Rivera (2) 

Trombone - Barry Rogers

It's The Right Thing

Freddy Robinson - 1970 - Hot Fun In The Summertime

Freddy Robinson - Hot Fun In The Summertime
Liberty LST-11007
Pacific Jazz PJ 20176
Recorded 1970 in Los Angeles;
 

Freddy Robinson: guitar
unknown: piano
Henry Franklin: acoustic bass
Wilton Felder: electric bass
Paul Humphrey: drums
Al Vescovo: guitar
Bobby Bryant & Freddy Hill: trumpets
Tom Scott: alto sax
Bill Green: sax, poss.
Clydie King, Darlene Love & Edna Wright: vocals
Sid Garp's string section.

01 - Caprice's Green Grass

02 - Moon Glow

03 - I Want To Hold Your Hand

04 - I'm In Love

05 - Hot Fun in the Summertime

06 - Someday We'll Be Together

07 - Becky's Rainbow

08 - The Creeper

Charles Sullivan - 1976 - Re-entry

One of the few sessions ever cut as a leader by soul jazz trumpeter Charles Sullivan, a brilliant talent who shone brightly in the mid 70s, working in hip small groups that were very much in the Strata East mode. This rare, previously Japanese-only release has Sullivan working with Rene McLean, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, and Billy Hart on a tightly crafted set of tunes that share the same lyrical searching quality as some of McLean or Barron's own work from the time. The compositions are incredibly soulful, very much in the mode of some of Billy Harper's genius Japanese recordings.

01 - Re-entry

02 - Body & Soul

03 - Carefree

04 - Waltz For Cricket

05 - Mabe's Way

06 - Body & Soul

07 - Carefree

Bobby Jackson - 1978 - Desiree Song

Bobby Jackson - Desiree Song 

(LP Ninth Note Records, US, 1978) 

Catalog # NNR-0072

Bobby Jackson (piano)

Tony Moreno (drums)

Enrique Mercado Reyes (trombone)

Bobby Hughes (alto saxophone)

John Howard (bass)

I am big fan of Independent Jazz Labels. This album was first made known to me a few years back by a jazz dealer of mine. He wouldn’t sell me his copy though, so I had to look for it myself. A very strong LP - and a must for lovers of spiritual jazz. I was blown away the first time I heard "Desiree Song". The Piano and messy horn bit at the end does my head in every time. Also check out "Modetique" on the album as well: Really nice (even if I do say so myself).

1.Desiree Song

2.Modetique

3.Bunglers Twist

4.Peepin

5.Pressure Funk

Lonnie Liston Smith - 1998 - Transformation

Transformation finds Lonnie Liston Smith continuing to explore the smooth, overtly commercial soul-jazz direction he began in the early '80s. It has a bit more grit and invention than such albums as Magic Lady, yet it doesn't surge forward with the restless searching that distinguished his earlier masterworks. His brother Donald sings on "Space Princess" and "Transformation," but the best moments are tracks like his reworking of "A Chance for Peace (Give Peace a Chance)," which suggest that Smith still has the talent to be a true contender.

01. A Change For Peace (Give Peace a Change)

02. Nubian Nights

03. Caribbean Sunrise

04. Space Princess

05. Quiet Moments

06. Angels Of The Night

07. Transformation

08. Expansions

09. Moon Beams

10. Queen Of Hearts

11. Beautiful Girl

12. A Chance For Peace (Instr.)

Link:part 1

Link:part 2

Jukka Eskola Quintet - 2006 - Hub Up

A beautiful tribute to the electric side of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard , done by Jukka Eskola from Five Corners Quintet, in a mode that almost beats some of Freddie's classic work for CTI! The setting here is spare and simple , trumpet from Jukka, tenor from Timo Lassey, and bass, drums, and plenty of sweet electric keys. All hitting a groove that's soulful, soaring, and filled with the new sense of invention that Hubbard brought to his work at the start of the 70s. Most of the tracks here are originals by Hubbard , "Keep Your Soul Together", "Gibraltar", "Povo", and "Love Connection" , but the set also features the well-penned original "Deli", and a version of Weldon Irvine's "Mr Clean" , a key title in the Hubbard songbook of the CTI years!

01 - Keep Your Soul Together

02 - Gibraltar

03 - Brigitte

04 - Deli

05 - Mr.Clean

06 - Povo

07 - Love Connection

Link:Download

Gil Scott Heron - Is That Jazz?

Young-Holt Unlimited - 1973 - Plays Superfly

Fantastic! Young and Holt lay down a monster set of grooves from Curtis Mayfield's Superfly soundtrack (all the good ones -- like "Freddie's Dead", "Give Me Your Love", "Pusher Man", and "Superfly"), and they also get into some funky tracks of their own (like "Hey Pancho" and "Mystical Man"), and do a super-dope cover of "People Make the World Go Round". The album's nice and stripped down -- perhaps closest to their Oh Girl LP on Atlantic in feel, with loads of cool electric piano by Ken Chaney, laid out over the group's harder funky grooves! One of their rarest in the original, too -- and an essential bit of early G-funk!

01 - Freddie's Dead

02 - Give Me Your Love

03 - Pusher Man

04 - Superfly

05 - Hey Pancho

06 - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

07 - (They Long To Be) Close To You

08 - People Make The World Go Round

09 - Mystical Man

Link:Download

Eddy Senay - 1972 - Hot Thang

A heck of a great little guitar funk album -- one of two rare sides cut by the amazing Eddie Senay! The record's all-instrumental -- and Eddie's fuzzed-out guitar takes center stage over tripped-out arrangements that recall the best psychedelic funk of the early 70s -- bubbling along with just enough drums, bass, and keyboards to make for a chunky bottom groove -- while Senay wails over the top on guitar! The record reminds us of similar guitar funk albums from the time -- including the work of Dennis Coffey, Eddie Fisher, or Donald Austin -- but the groove's even more laidback and trippy, with a few nice breakway moments from the rhythm section.

01 - Just Feeling It

02 - Down Home

03 - Hot Thang

04 - Zambezi

05 - Jubo

06 - Reverend Lowdown

07 - Ain't No Sunshine

Link:Download

Frank Owens - 1973 - Brown 'N Serve

A lost bit of mellow funk, and one of the few rare releases on the Encounter label -- which was sort of a doper, more soulful version of CTI! Frank Owens plays organ and keyboards, and the group includes Bernard Purdie lending his trademark soul jazz drums (a very welcome fixture on most of the albums that appeared on Encounter), Bad Bascomb on guitar, Rick Cutter on vibes, Norman Pride on percussion, John Helstone on violin, Julian Buck on viola, Kermit Moore on cello, and others. Purdie produced the session, which includes a nice version of "Freddie's Dead", plus "Everybody Is A Star", Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady", "I Don't Need No Help", Galt MacDermot's "Suzie Moon", "Corner Of The Sky", Frank Owen's own "Brown & Serve", and more!

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Drums, Producer

Doug Bascomb - Guitar

Frank Owens - Organ, Piano

Hugh McCracken - Guitar

Julian Buck - Viola

Kermit Moore - Cello

Norman Pride - Percussion

Rick Cutter - Vibraphone

Selwart Clarke - Violin

01 - Freddie's Dead

02 - Brown 'N Serve

03 - Everybody Is a Star

04 - I Don't Need No Help

05 - Rock Steady

06 - Suzie Moon

07 - Corner Of The Sky

08 - Ben

Link:Download

Gary Chandler - 1972 - Outlook

Gary Chandler - “Outlook”

(LP Eastbound Records, 1972)

Catalog # LP 9001 Stereo

PERSONNEL:

GARY CHANDLER - TRUMPET

IDRIS MUHAMMAD - DRUMS

CEASAR FRAZIER - ORGAN

CORNELL DUPREEE - GUITAR

BUDDY CALDWELL - CONGA, TAMBOURINE

HARROLD OUSLEY - TENOR SAXOPHONE

01. Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)

02. Flamingo

03. Kaleidoscope

04. The Jet Set

05. Blues Dues

Link:Download