East of Suez

The main reasons to investigate the recordings of Charlie Ventura are of course his wonderful handling of the tenor saxophone and the excellent ensembles he led. Ventura's recordings were predominately instrumental in 1945 and 1946. As the decade drew to a close, singers dominated the recording industry and many bandleaders chose to feature more and more of them. The third volume of the complete recordings of Charlie Ventura illustrates this process in high relief. Four sides recorded for the National label in September of 1947 spotlight the vocal talents of Buddy Stewart, an able crooner who sounded best when bop scatting like a third horn alongside Ventura and trombonist Kai Winding on "East of Suez" and the dynamic "Eleven Sixty," a masterpiece of high-energy bop that Ventura had recorded in March of 1947 as "Stop and Go"…

One of the most dynamic and accomplished artists to debut during the early '70s, singer and songwriter Chaka Khan secured her high standing as the frontperson of Rufus. A multiracial band that skillfully moved across soul, funk, rock, and jazz, they reached the mainstream with the slinking "Tell Me Something Good" (1974), a Top Five pop hit that won a Grammy, and throughout the decade continuously placed albums within the upper reaches of the pop and R&B charts. As Rufus remained active, Khan launched her solo career with "I'm Every Woman" (1978), an anthemic crossover disco smash that led to eight additional Top Ten R&B hits.