STUFF - STUFF IT! (1979)

Hello Everybody, I guess I have to keep the article brief this time since my keyboard keeps backfiring and sometimes simply stops working. I have to unplug it and then plug it in again, then it works for a while and allows me to type text and then, out of the blue, it doesn't do anything. I must have worn it out, so time to get a new one. Anyway, this lovely album by Stuff was on my post list for quite a while and now I finally remembered to put it up. Produced by Steve Cropper, band members Cornell Dupree, Gordon Edwards, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Chris Parker and Richard Tee deliver a joyful album with mostly instrumental tracks. The band that was started by Gordon Edwards only left us four albums: "Stuff", "More Stuff", "Stuff It!" and "Live In New York". Another release, "Live In Japan", has recently been posted by Smooth on My Jazz World. So an amazing line-up of musicians, doing a great job and now I'm done with writing, 'cause while typing I had to re-plug my keyboard four times.

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NOTE: since it turns out that this album is still available on CD for a reasonable price, I had to take the rip offline. The goal is to post out of print material only and I simply overlooked the fact that this gem is still out there!

JUNIOR MANCE - STRAIGHT AHEAD! (1964)

Back again, folks. Recently buddy Smooth posted two Junior Mance albums from the early seventies: That Lovin' Feelin' and The Junior Mance Touch and his shares made me think of a Junior Mance album out of my own collection, "Straight Ahead!"; a straight up Jazz album that features the Bob Bain Brass Ensemble. Problem was that I couldn't find it at first. It took me a full week to locate the album: I completely forgot that it was still sitting in one of my record bags and not in my cabinet... That's what happens when you DJ a lot, you take records from here to there and sometimes you simply forget to put them back. Anyway, with the two brilliant Junior Mance albums that Smooth posted in mind, I just thought it would be a nice thing to put this one up for y'all. It'll give some nice insight in how the sound of Mance changed from the mid sixties to the early seventies. On "Straight Ahead!" we find eleven enjoyable cuts, with two compositions of Junior Mance himself: "Happy Time", a very church choir kinda track and "Señor Mance", which he wrote together with Bob Bain. The other known cuts like "In A Mellow Tone", "Fine Brown Frame" or "The Late, Late Show" will give you an idea of what to expect, so get ready for some enjoyable big band material. Of course the emphasis is on Junior's piano work; the Bob Bain Brass Ensemble delivers the rest of the goods. We have Shelly Manne on drums, Monty Budwig on bass, Bob Bain himself on guitar (Li'l Darlin'), Don Fagerquist, John Audino, Pete Candoli, Ray Triscari and Al Porcino on trumpets; Lew McCreary, Milt Bernhart and Vern Friley on trombones; bass trombones by George Roberts and Kenny Shroyer. All in all a high energy Jazz LP with some superb and loud brass here and there, combined with more easy goin' tracks. My copy of this album is the mono pressing. I've so far not been able to lay hands on the stereo version. I personally think that the rip is just excellent. Mono, yes, but still the whole thing sounds tight, crisp and sparkling and I'm very pleased with the full mono end result. I truly hope you guys think the same. Time for us al to move straight ahead with this straight up Jazz gem, as always done at 320Kbps including hi res cover scans. Let's see those replies folks!!

LINDA CLIFFORD - LET ME BE YOUR WOMAN (1979)

And another week has passed, time for a new gem. The other day a friend of mine was looking for the sample/loop in a modern dance production called "Here Come One" by Restless Soul; a track that -as far as I know- is only available on a CD compilation from 2000 called Beats and Pieces. I was able to help him out: the sample/loop was taken from the track "Don't Give It Up" by Linda Clifford. The part we're talking about here is from the break which kicks in at 5'25" and house producers will love it. So that was it, but since I played other parts of the album for him, he immediately wanted a full rip of it. So I did just that and when I was done, I checked to see if the album is currently out of print, and it is. Even on Linda Clifford's homepage the CD is no longer available. So I had a good reason to post it! Linda Clifford has a fantastic voice and here and there on the net people even call her the queen of disco. Now I don't know if you can call her that, 'cause there are so many 'queens of disco' in my opinion, but one thing is true: this is a fabulous album. On the back cover of this RSO release you will find the bell-ringing names of Gil Askey, Jim Burgess, The Jones Girls, Keni Burke, The Curtom Horns and Strings and one track, "Hold Me Close" was written by Curtis Mayfield. The overall production of the album is tight, crisp and spacious and some tracks just swing like a train. The two lengthy 12" cuts "One Of Those Songs", mixed by Jim Burgess and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" which was mixed by Jimmy Simpson offer disco as it's supposed to sound, while tracks like "Don't Give It Up", "Sweet Melodies" and "I Can't Let This Good Thing Get Away" are less busy and more funky. It's also nice to hear that "I Can't Let..." has a double drum track. You can even hear the bass drums 'galloping' a bit here and there. Of course Linda Clifford's towering voice is the dominant factor and what a joy it is to listen to her when she sings loudly, also in the two ballads that are present. Anyway, this fabulous Linda Clifford album shows us once again that disco will never be a four letter word. As always pristinely ripped at 320Kbps with hi-res cover scans including the sexy inside photo of Linda herself, so let her be your woman and let's see those replies folks!!

JOHNNY HAMMOND - HIGHER GROUND (1973)

And here we are folks, with my second Johnny Hammond post. Almost two years ago I posted Johnny Hammond with "Wild Horses Rock Steady" and now it's time for Higher Ground. This album was released on KUDU as KU-16, but the French copy that I have is a CTI pressing; CTI-9032. According to Doug Payne's outstanding website this used to be perfectly normal back in the days. Anyway, the artwork that I included in the file will show you what the French did: they poorly covered up the spot where the original KUDU logo used to be and pasted a CTI logo on top of it. "Higher Ground" was arranged and conducted by Bob James, and his sound is all over the place. A lot of the typical bits and pieces that some of us will recognize from Bob's early albums immediately reveal his influence. And of course we have our line-up of the 'regulars': Ron Carter on bass, Jack DeJohnette (on "Big Sur Suite") and Steve Gadd on drums, George Benson on guitar, Hank Crawford playing alto sax (on "Big Sur Suite") and Joe Henderson on tenor sax. I won't give away all of 'em, 'cause it's also fun to check out the back cover yourself and read all those other lovely names that play on this gem. The album features four lengthy tracks and especially the beat diggers will love "Higher Ground" and "Big Sur Suite", since parts of their intros and breaks have been sampled many times. "Catch My Soul" is what I'd call a typical Bob James track, with crisp, loud horn stabs and a very orchestral atmosphere and "Summertime/The Ghetto" offers an exciting rendition of two well known tracks combined into one. Of course Johnny's organ work is all over the place, but what I like even better are the sax solos and make sure to pay close attention to the drums in the right channel, 'cause both Gadd and DeJohnette, who 'does' Big Sure Suite, are fabulous here. So let's move ourselves to a higher ground and check this hot one out. As always ripped at 320Kbps and let's see those replies, folks!!

ESTHER PHILLIPS - PERFORMANCE (1974)

And we're back, folks. This time with Esther Phillips and "Performance". I have an 'on and off' relationship with Esther's output. Sometimes months pass by that I, for some reason, can't even think about playing her records and then, for weeks on end, I can't get enough of it. For me it basically has to do with her voice. I guess. I don't know what it exactly is. She reminds me of Marlena Shaw and with her I have the same thing going on. There doesn't seem to be a middle of the road kinda thing here. Anyway, the last couple of weeks I've been listening to a lot of the Esther Phillips albums I have and the last one I checked out the other day was the album featured here today. The weather here has been very nice these last couple of days, sunny and lazy, and "Performance" featured as my personal soundtrack this entire week. As with so many KUDU/CTI albums, we'll find a star studded line-up of the known session players: Gary King and Gordon Edwards on bass, Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd on drums, Bob James, Richard Tee and Richard Wyands on keys, Charlie Brown, Richie Resnicoff, Jon Sholle and Eric Weissberg on guitar, Ralph McDonald on percussion, Hubert Laws on flute, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Mike Brecker on tenor sax and Jerry Dodgion on alto sax and Urbie Green on Trombone. Please make sure to check out the back cover here, 'cause there are way, way more top notch artists playing and singing on this Esther Phillips jewel. The album delivers plenty of slow, soulful rhythm and blues and many of the jazzdance DJs amongst us will absolutely dig the superfunky "Disposable Society"; here's where we find Steve Gadd on drums and Bob James on electric keys by the way. All in all a very laid back album that's excellent for chilling in the backyard on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Esther Phillips' heroine addiction and the years of heavy drinking finally took her life on August 7, 1984. She died of cirrhosis of the liver and a kidney infection at the age of 48. Some minor online research will give you plenty of good biographies, so read them, it'll make you appreciate her music even more. My copy of "Performance" has some surface noise, but as always I don't mind telling you that I put a lot of effort in the final audio quality of this rip. Artwork embedded in every track for the Pod users and high res cover scans in the file itself, now let's all enjoy Eshter's Peformance at 320Kbps! Let's see those replies folks!