Dee Dee Bridgewater

Carlos Garnett - Black Love (1974) {Muse-Soul Brother Records CD SBCS 67 rel 2014}
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© 1974, 2014 Muse / Soul Brother Records / Passion Music | CD SBCS 67
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Spiritual Jazz / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

This CD reissues an interesting if not essential set by the passionate saxophonist Carlos Garnett. The five selections (which are augmented by two previously unissued alternate takes) combine together advanced jazz, electronics (particularly from guitarist Reggie Lucas who was with Miles Davis at the time), the voices of Dee Dee Bridgewater (on one of her first dates) and Ayodele Jenkins which are often heard in the ensembles, and funky pop elements. In addition to Garnett (mostly heard on tenor and soprano), trumpeter Charles Sullivan, pianist Allan Gumbs and guitarist Lucas are the main soloists while Bridgewater is well featured on the two versions of "Banks Of The Nile." The unpredictable music overall is eccentric, sometimes overcrowded, and very much of the period but it holds one's interest.

"Mr. Freedom," the most recent offering from Gabin, is an eclectic mix of funky soul and ambient, groove-oriented jazz, all subtly (and sometimes not-so-subtly) set atop pulsing electronic beats. Think Moby's "Play" with even more of an edge. When the songs are good, they're really good. Standouts include the tribal-esque "Bang Bang to the Rock and Roll," (which sounds something like Fatboy Slim-meets-Paul Simon's "The Obvious Child,") and the fifth track, the steadily grooving "Midnight Coffee," which could practically be straight off of a St. Germain album. ~ Amazon

JAZZ A SAINT-GERMAIN is a tribute to the World War II Paris jazz scene.
This compilation of jazz and pop with a Continental flair includes two of the most famous French female pop stars, Jane Birkin and Françoise Hardy, in duets with Jimmy Rowles and Iggy Pop, respectively. Elsewhere, great tracks are turned in by Angélique Kidjo, the Jazz Passengers with Debbie Harry, and Catherine Ringer & the Renegade Brass Band. ~ Keith Farley

Crème de la Crème Two: More Philly Soul Classics & Rarities from the Vaults of Atlantic, Atco and Warner Bros. Records 1970-1980 follows on its exemplary predecessor to further document the efforts of a major label conglomerate that throughout the decade rivaled Philadelphia International in terms of quantity and quality – the set digs even deeper than the first volume, assembling deep album cuts and unreleased tracks, but the music is no less impressive. Highlights include Major Harris' "Each Morning I Wake Up," Bettye Swann's "When the Game Is Played on You" and the Tom Moulton remix of Sister Sledge's "Mama Never Told Me."

Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country. Then there was his singing; his style was among the most emotional and easily identifiable of any 20th century performer, up there with the likes of Elvis and Billie Holiday. He was also a superb keyboard player, arranger, and bandleader. The brilliance of his 1950s and '60s work, however, can't obscure the fact that he made few classic tracks after the mid-'60s, though he recorded often and performed until the year before his death.