VA - Coolin' (2002)

VA - Coolin' (2002)

Al Jarreau - 1977 - Look To The Rainbow (Live recorded in Europe)

Al Jarreau - 1977 - Look To The Rainbow (Live recorded in Europe)

Singer Al Jarreau's album, Look to the Rainbow, is easily the most jazz-oriented of all of his Warner Bros. recordings. Cut shortly before Jarreau permanently switched to a more mundane version of R&B, these performances feature him as a brilliant scat singer (able to emulate practically any instrument) and a superior ballad interpreter. Unfortunately, Al Jarreau essentially started on top, artistically speaking, and has since been intent on emphasizing potential commercial appeal over any possible innovations or chance-taking.

Recorded live in Europe between January and February 1977.

Personnel: 

Al Jarreau (vocals), 

Tom Canning (keyboards), 

Lynn Blessing (vibraphone), 

Abraham Laboriel (bass), 

Joe Correro (drums).

Favourites

Syl Johnson - I'm Talkin' Bout Freedom

Lillian Hale - Don't Boom Boom

Unsung: The Story Of Donny Hathaway

Donny Hathaway was a Prolific Song Writer and Music Composer of the Fabulous Soul Music Era. Donny's rise to Soul Music Prominence made him the standard bearer for today's R&B Male vocalist. Indeed Donny Hathaway is responsible for creating and influencing today's modern R&B vocal style for ALL male vocalist of our time. Before Donny Hathaway, no R&B male singer or performer was singing riffs, incorporating high notes or bringing down the house with soulful, melodic vocals. Donny Hathaway was the FIRST to do it...................not Lurther Vandross, not Stevie Wonder, Not even Marvin Gaye!

Bridge - 1981 - Crying For Love

Bridge - Crying For Love

We all know the group - their mixture of soul, funk, disco and Latin elements made this marvellous grouping a really talented band with the versatility and option to change tempo, the direction and beat at the drop of a hat. Something not many artists can do today. Still, this CD is a collection of the demo cuts that won them a recording deal with the CBS owned Bang label. These songs were recorded in 1981 and were intended to become their album for the label. Sadly this was not to pass, and these songs were to sit and gather dust. As one quick spin off of this CD will show this was a criminal act. Still, First Experience has done the decent thing and has rectified this very sorry situation. 1981 as I have said before, was a vintage year for soul music and this is reflected in every song on this CD. I cannot really pull out any clear favourites on this CD but please, if I may, direct you to a few particular songs, which I think should be given special listening treatment. Vocalists Debravon Lewis and Derick Hughes are superb; the latter is very reminiscent of the sadly missed and masterful Donny Hathaway. Both "Stella" and "Listen" are excellent readings of the 1977 Norman Connors versions, and are here performed by the writers themselves in their own right. "From The Darkness To The Light" is a superb ballad complete with flute and summary percussion background which really does the honours. Continuing the trend is "Fire Burning" which underlines how criminal it was not to have had the material released years ago. The vocals on this song are stunning, with Derick Hughes really laying out the red carpet. Surprisingly, for me, was the "Next To Me" cut that was covered by drummer Kenneth Nash. On his 1986 "Mr Ears" album. These tracks are but a few of the highlights from many gems on here.

01. Crying For Love

02. Stella

03. From The Darkness To The Light

04. Fire Burning

05. Waiting Patiently

06. He Say C. She Say Game

07. Sweet & Wonderful

08. Out There In Space

09. No Where Love Affair

10. Rivers Of Love

11. Turn To Love

12. Next To Me

13. Reach Out

14. Listen

Link:Download

Donny Hathaway and Friends - Live At The Astrodome

Very rare album of the great Donny Hathaway , so favorite of mine. I hope to enjoy it , like i am ... I'm sorry but i don't have any information about this performance , may be if some one have will let me know .

01. What's Goin On

02. Giving Up

03. You've Got a Friend

04. Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)

Link:Download

Marvin Gaye - 2008 - Here My Dear EXPANDED EDITION

The year is 1978 and Marvin Gaye is fresh off a divorce from Anna Gordy, the sister of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. MG's choice of release therapy? Chronicling the entire divorce, his feelings, and his failure at love on his out-of-print, oft-slept on album, Here, My Dear. When the album was initially released in 1978 during the height of the disco era, the LP was highly criticized for it's uncommercial sound and intensely introspective lyrics. When the LP was first re-issued in the early 90s, it debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B charts and featured in-depth liner notes from Gaye's biographer David Ritz. Ritz wrote that Gaye was convinced that Motown would never push an album critical of the sister of company founder Berry Gordy, Jr., and did all he could to alienate the label, never giving Motown a chance to promote the album properly.

CD1

1. Here, My Dear

2. I Met A Little Girl

3. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You

4. Anger

5. Is That Enough

6. Everybody Needs Love

7. Time To Get It Together

8. Sparrow

9. Anna's Song

10. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You - Instrumental

11. A Funky Space Reincarnation

12. You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You

13. Falling In Love Again

14. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You [Reprise]

15. Ain't It Funny (How Things Turn Around) - Alternate Mix

Link:Download

CD2

1. Here, My Dear - Alternate Mix

2. I Met A Little Girl - Alternate Version

3. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You - Alternate Version

4. Anger - Alternate Extended Mix

5. Is That Enough - Instrumental

6. Everybody Needs Love - Alternate Version

7. Time To Get It Together - Alternate Extended Mix

8. Sparrow - Alternate Version

9. Anna's Song - Alternate Version

10. A Funky Space Reincarnation - Alternate Extended Mix

11. You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You - Alternate Extended Mix

12. Falling In Love Again - Alternate Version

13. A Funky Space Reincarnation - Instrumental

Link:Download

Bobby Williams - 1974 - Funky Super Fly

One of THE all-time indie funk classics of the 70s, the standout LP by Bobby Williams, an obscure James Brown-styled vocalist with a really great sound! The style here cops plenty from JB at his funkiest, but that's A-OK with me, because Bobby gets that sound so completely right, and the raw production of the album make the record sound a good deal grittier than most of The Godfather's more mainstream records from the time. There's a hard-jamming quality to most of the numbers, with lots of tight horns, fast-romping rhythms, and calls from Bobby out to the band, who are more than happy to respond to his groove!

Funky Superfly

Soul Brother Party

Morning Of Love

Link:Download

Donny Hathaway - 2004 - These Songs For You, Live!

A fantastic document of the genius of Donny Hathaway and a set that shows that the 70s soul legend was every bit as wonderful live as he was in the studio! The set features a huge number of unreleased tracks by Donny , grouped with numbers pulled from his two successful 70s live sets (Donny Hathaway Live and In Performance, neither of which are in print in the US!) The tracks feature Donny on electric keyboards and organ , leading a group of players that includes Phil Upchurch, Cornell Dupree, and Richard Tee , all coming together in a tightly-jamming small group formation that's quite different than the backing on Hathaway's studio albums. There's a warm, organic feel to the set that's really wonderful and which offers new versions of tunes you might only know from their studio incarnations, as well as a few covers of work by contemporary soul acts that come off amazingly well.

01 - Flying easy

02 - Valdez in the country

03 - Someday we'll all be free

04 - You've got a friend

05 - He ain't heavy, he's my brother

06 - What's goin' on

07 - Yesterday

08 - Superwoman

09 - A song for you

10 - Sack full of dreams

11 - Little ghetto boy

12 - I love you more than you'll ever know

13 - The ghetto

14 - Interview

Link:Download

Sister Funk 2 - 2007 - The Sound Of Unknown Soul Sisters - Compiled By DJ Ian Wright

A second great serving of all-female funk and a collection that's arguably better than the now-legendary first volume in the series! Ian Wright's definitely outdone himself here and the selection of work here is really really wonderful , with hardly any familiar names at all , save for a few smaller soul stars who are represented by some pretty obscure tunes! The vibe is hard and gritty throughout , but also plenty soulful too , and Ian doesn't sacrifice quality of the tune in pursuit of a rare piece of wax, so that the work is all top-shelf all the way through , a collection of female soul and funk artists who easily rival the biggest names from their generations! As usual with Jazzman, the whole thing's done with notes that are as careful as the track selection.

01 - Rhetta Hughes - You're Doing It With Her

02 - Honey & The Bees - Love Addict

03 - Dolly Gilmore - Sweet Sweet Baby

04 - Barbara King - What I Did In The Street

05 - Coletta Woodson - Follow The Wind

06 - Sandy Gaye - Watch The Dog

07 - Big Ella - The Queen

08 - Sheila Wilkerson - Baby You're A Jive Cat

09 - Richi Corbin Trio - A Woman Was Made For A Man

10 - Barbara Trent - Heartbreak Hotel

11 - Althea Spencer - Take Me Baby

12 - Cheryl Johnson - It's Not Too Late

13 - Barbara Howard - I Dont Want Your Love

14 - Leon Mitchison - Whatcha Need

15 - Cheryl Dorsey - If You Want Your Man

16 - The Fabulettes - Muddy Waters

17 - Keisa Brown - The Dance Man

18 - Barbara Mason - You Better Stop It

19 - Hard Drivers - Since I Was A Little Girl

20 - Florence Trapp - Love Came Into My Life

Link:Download

Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott-Heron was born in Chicago , Illinois , on April 1st 1949. He attended Lincoln and John Hopkins University. He wrote two novels. The Vulture and The Nigger Factory. He met Brian Jackson, his frequent collaborator. Gil Scott-Heron began playing keyboards and, teaming up with Brian Jackson, setting his political poetry to a jazz-funk fusion. First releases were on the Flying Dutchman label in the 70's.

This is the man whose attitude, poetry and "bluesology" influenced a whole generation of radical rap musicians. Renowned in the '70s and '80s as the "Minister of Information", Gil Scott Heron is the voice of humanity, whose prose dissects the ills of the world with scalpel-sharp precision. He is a writer/poet/musician and one of America's great originals. Performing work from his latest album 'Spirits', Scott Heron is a man with something to say and a message worth listening to. During the 1970s and 1980's for Arista label, Scott-Heron released twelve albums. Then, after a twelve-year break, he signed with TVT Records and released Spirits in 1993.

The first cut of this album, "Message To The Messenger," is a warning to today’s rappers, urging them to take responsibility in their art and in their communities. Since then, he has played to sell-out crowds all over the world, performing at major festivals in England. More recently he has been arrested for possession of a gram of cocaine and now faces about a year in prison. He is also working on a book "The Last Holiday" for Publisher Canongatе www.canongate.net.

Defiant as ever he turned down rehabilitation as an alternative to prison. Maybe in prison he will get a fresh perspective and produce more of his articulate insights. Gil Scott-Heron got out of prison on the 28th October 2002. Since getting out of prison he has teamed up with Brian Jackson. He has played SOB with Brian on October 2003 and there is BBC Documentary showing in December 2003. At the end of October 2003, on his way to a gig in Chicago, he was arrested at La Guardia airport, New York. He’s charged with possession of a controlled substance and detained at Rikers Island Penitentiary in New York. He got out in June 2004...

Gil Scott-Heron - 1981 - Reflections

This is one of the most incredible albums of Gil Scott witch contains real soul classics . I truly recommend that album of that "genius" of his time .I hope to enjoy the creativity of his mind like i i'm ...

The album opens with a pair that fit this sound-- "Storm Music" is a bit lifeless, limping along in reggae rhythms and "Grandma's Hands" is seeped in funk and D.C. slap bass, although "Is That Jazz?" ends up being a revelation-- a modern update on jazz and '70s fusion, with a fantastic lyric about what makes jazz and a superb fretless bass solo from Robert Gordon. Add to this a gun control statement ("Gun") rooted deep in electric Motown sounds and a couple spoken word pieces ("Morning Thoughts" and the fantastic anti-Reagan statement, "'B' Movie") and you almost have a fine album. What's missing is a completely brilliant statement, and in this case it's made in a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues". As frank a discussion of inner city life as Scott-Heron could have written himself, one master performing another with a brilliant trumpet solo courtesy of Kenny Sheffield works out to be the centerpiece the album needs.

01 - Storm Music

02 - Grandma's Hands

03 - Is That Jazz?

04 - Morning Thoughts

05 - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

06 - Gun

07 - 'B' Movie

Link:Download

Gil Scott Heron - Is That Jazz?

Donny Hathaway

Biography

An exceptional soul singer from Chicago, Donny Hathaway's life ended early, but he left behind a legacy of classic music. He started singing and playing piano as a young child, and eventually attended Howard University on a music scholarship. In the mid-sixties, he played with a jazz group called the Ric Powell Trio, and was soon producing and arranging for many other acts. He also worked as a session musician, playing keys with the Staple Singers and Aretha Frankin among others. That led to him joining the Mayfield Singers, backing up Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions. In 1969, he got a deal with ATCO and released his debut solo single "The Ghetto Pt. 1." His first full-length, the timeless Everything Is Everything came out the following year, establishing Hathaway as a visionary artist able to seamlessly blend funk, gospel, and social awareness in his music. His second album, 1971's Donny Hathaway was a much more somber affair, with minimalist, piano-driven cover songs.

On it, he hooked up with Roberta Flack for a duet version of "YouA’ve Got A Friend." The track became a hit and led to an entire album of duets between the two, released the following year. From that LP came "Where Is the Love," a huge hit single that won a Grammy and topped the charts. While his career was at an all-time high, Hathaway was gripped by severe depression, so much so that he had to be periodically hospitalized. His third and final studio album Extension Of A Man came out in 1973, after which he kept a low profile, performing infrequently and then only in small venues. Several years later he reconnected with Roberta Flack and scored another huge hit with "The Closer I Get To You," but it would be his final one. In January of 1979 he committed suicide by jumping out a 15-story window in New York City. Although his career was short-lived, Donny Hathaway made a huge impact on R&B and popular music in general, dozens of hip-hop artists have since sampled his records, reconfiguring his tracks into numerous rap hits.
Donny Hathaway was a star that burned brightly and too quickly was extinguished, but his legacy was a set of albums which stand comparison with the Soul superstars of the era. His first album was a classic, and comtained an instrumental giant "The Ghetto" On this, his second album from 1971, Donny Hathaway showcases his great voice and the stand out tracks for me are the big ballads - He Ain't Heavy.., A Song For You and She Is My Lady. There is no "The Ghetto" soundalike here, just great songs beautifully arranged and performed, and the gospel influence is very evident here, probably more than on any of his other albums. This is a real Soul album therefore. With the addition of a couple of bonus tracks, including the great "This Christmas", this is an album for fans of Soul. It would also serve for those fans of more recent R & B, as Donny was an undoubted influence on so many contemporary artists like India Arie, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Leela James.
Many of us will never have heard of Donny Hathaway. He was of a time when African American musicians were particularly inspired and wonderfully creative at the height of optimism for change in the early 70's (Stevie, Marvin, Isley Bros, Staple Singers, Al Green the whole bit). It is only because my mother loved Roberta Flack that I knew he existed. I also found out that he also played keyboards on a few Aretha tracks. So when I chanced upon this disc in a discount store I took a chance. Top choice. The man's voice is silk and his arrangement on the cover of "He ain't heavy.." makes the song his own. There is simply no other voice like Donny's. The pace of the disc is intense if not unique, there is a real mixture of gospel and contemporary influences, cosy up to the voice, composition and musical talents of Donny. For all the romantics in the world go straight to "Take a love song" (sing it in the air) and for the best Christmas song ever it has to be "This Christmas" then stay on for "Be there". I have all the other Donny's now and can't get through a day without listening to him.

...


Donny Hathaway - 1970 - Free Soul - The Classic Of Donny Hathaway

1. What's Goin' On (Live Version)

2. Little Ghetto Boy (Studio Version )

3. Love, Love, Love

4. Someday We'll All Be Free

5. Sack Full Of Dreams (Live Version)

6. The Ghetto (Live Version)

7. Hey Girl (Live Version)

8. Valdes In The Country (Live Version)

9. Flying Easy

10. Nu-Po (Live Version)

11. Little Ghetto Boy (Live Version)

12. The Ghetto (Live Version)

13. Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)

14. Magnificent Sanctuary Band

15. This Christmas

16. You've Got A Friend (Live Version)

Link:Part 1 & Part 2

Donny Hathaway - 1973 - Extension Of A Man

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work -- using complicated rhythms and sophisticated string passages -- but also throwing in some killer jazzy bits that make for some of his funkiest work ever!

01. I Love The Lord He Heard Me Cry (parts i and ii)

02. Someday Well All Be Free

03. Flying Easy

04. Valdex In The Country

05. I Love You More Than You Ever Know

06. Come Little Children

07. Love Love Love

08.The Slums

09. Magdalena

10. I Know Its You

11. Lord Help Me

Link:Download

Donny Hathaway - 1972 - Live

Massively beautiful work from the great Donny Hathaway! After two studio albums that had firmly put him on the map as one of the 70s best soul talents, Atco had the genius to have Donny record this live album before very enthusiastic crowds in Hollywood and New York. The result is one of the best soul albums ever -- one that shows a totally different side of Donny, and which has him jamming with a smaller, hipper, jazz-oriented group in long versions of some of his best tracks. Features a massive 12 minute version of "The Ghetto", which has loads of excellent instrumental breakdowns, a 13 minute version of "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)", a superior version of the track "Little Ghetto Boy", which was only ever on a soundtrack, and covers of "What's Going On" and "Jealous Guy" that really transform them from the original versions. Very similar to the classic Curtis Mayfield 2LP live set on Curtom -- and with a similar "Chicago studio soulster goes jazzy and intimate" feel.

01. What's Goin' On

02. The Ghetto

03. Hey Girl

04. You've Got A Friend

05. Little Ghetto Boy

06. We're Still Friends

07. Jealous Guy

08. Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)

Link:Download

O.V. Wright - 1979 - We're Still Together

This is what is rightly called “Soul”. Soul with considerable feeling backing it up. Original Soul from the time that when given the label “Soul” meant that it was proud and unquestionably justifiable.

This is the music that you listen to when you are alone. When the highs of the day have already passed you by and now you are somewhat vulnerable. Relaxing with something other than watered down beer. This is when the meaning in the lyrics are so compelling, that you readily identify with them and find your mood is brought in line with the music – and not the other way around as we’re all so used to.

01. We're Still Together

02. I Found Peace

03. It's Cold Without Your Love

04. Baby Baby Baby

05. I'm Gonna Stay

06. The Hurt Is On

07. Today I Sing The Blues

08. Mirror Of My Soul

09. Sacrifice

Link:Download

O.V. Wright - 1969 - Nucleus Of Soul

O.V. Wright - "Nucleus Of Soul "

1968

Producer: Willie Mitchell

There were two distinct periods in Wright's 15-year secular career, delineated by the demise of his first record label, Back Beat, which had been owned and operated by the don of Houston rhythm and blues, Don Robey. Midway in his career, Wright migrated to Hi Records, where his longtime producer Willie Mitchell was the principal talent director. Few artists in any medium exhibit so huge a gap between artistic quality and commercial success as O.V. Wright. Wright's two most successful records, "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" and "Eight Men, Four Women," came early in his career at Back Beat, and neither recording received any airplay outside the circumscribed world of 1960s R&B radio. In fact, R&B radio in the late 1960s, the heyday of southern gospel-inflected soul music, is the only radio format during the years spanned by Wright's career in which it is possible to imagine Wright's chilling statements from the spiritual void finding a home. Wright is an artist whose reputation is destined to grow with the historical perspective afforded by time.

01. Blowing In The Wind

02. Gonna Forget About You

03. I Have None

04. You're So Good To Me

05. Why Not Give Me a Chance

06. Pledging My Love

07. This Hurt Is Real

08. I'll Hate Myself Tomorrow

09. I'll Take Care Of You

10. I Want Everyone To Know

11. Poor Boy

12. I'm In Your Corner

13. Gone For Good

14. How Long Baby

Link:Download

O.V. Wright - 1978 - The Bottom Line

O.V. Wright recorded one of the all time great slow-burners with The Bottom Line. Joining O.V. once again is super producer Willie Mitchell (who also wrote or co-wrote over half the tracks here), and the team he's assembled for The Bottom Line is nothing short of phenomenal. Aside from your basic Memphis rhythm section (which there is actually nothing basic about), The Bottom Line boats a 7-person horn section backed by four female gospel singers and The Memphis Sting Symphony. So many musicians could make an album cumbersome, noisy, or (as the album ages) sound dated, but under Mitchell's guidance (along with Aarion Nesbit focusing on the strings) this isn't the case at all.

The genius and pure pleasure of O.V. Wright doesn't have to continue on going overlooked. The Bottom Line is the kind of album that'll draw endless praise from fans of southern soul music, and could very possibly win over new fans who enjoy great heartfelt storytelling, skilled and accomplished musicians, and a singer who puts himself deeply into the song (country music, blues, and folk fans - I'm looking at you).

01. The Bottom Line

02. I Don't Do Windows

03. That's The Way I Feel About Cha'

04. Your Good Things About To End

05. Let's Straighten It Out

06. I Don't Know Why

07. No Easy Way To Say Goodbye

08. Little More Time

09. Since You Left These Arms Of Mine

10. A Long Road

Link:Download