M. Jay Granberry

Two-time Grammy winner/arranger/producer/songwriter/guitarist Jay Graydon's credits include hits by Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire ("After the Love Is Gone," co-written with David Foster and Bill Champlin), Steely Dan, Dionne Warwick, Air Supply, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau ("Mornin'"), Breakin' Away, Heart's Horizon, High Crime, Jarreau, This Time, the Manhattan Transfer ("Twilight Zone"), George Benson ("Turn Your Love Around"), Cher, Christopher Cross, DeBarge ("Who's Holding Donna Now"), Barry Manilow (Even Now), and El Debarge, among many others. He also was involved with the soundtracks to Ghostbusters, Miami Vice, and St. Elmo's Fire. Graydon co-wrote "She's in Love," a track on Brenda Russell's Hidden Beach/Epicdebut album Paris Rain issued on July 18, 2000.

For many, when you think of early rock & roll, certain images and sounds immediately come to mind - Chuck Berry strumming his red Gibson while duck-walking, a sweaty Little Richard wailing into the mike, Jerry Lee Lewis bashing the piano, etc. But what's often forgotten is that in rock's dawning moments, horns played a big part in the then-new genre's sound. And Screamin' Jay Hawkins was one of rock's early artists to embrace blaring saxophones - as well as theatrics. As evidenced by the 1994 release I Shake My Stick at You, Hawkins was rockin' and hollerin' till the very end…

Jay Hoggard's lone date for Contemporary (reissued as an OJC CD) was one of the vibraphonist's finest early sets. The music (all six songs are Hoggard originals) falls into the area of advanced hard bop. Chief among the sidemen are Chico Freeman (heard on tenor, soprano and bass clarinet), keyboardist Kenny Kirkland, and colorful percussionist Paulinho Da Costa; two songs utilize three vocalists, and there is a strong African feel to some of the ensembles.

Stone Crazy is a latter-day album from Screamin' Jay Hawkins, recorded with his touring band the Chickenhawks. Musically, the album sounds surprisingly good, since the Chickenhawks are a tight little backing band, but Hawkins' schtick gets a little tiresome after a while, and there aren't many great songs on the album. Only the tribute to the Twin Peaks vixen "Sherilyn Fenn" really hits home, but dedicated fans will be pleased that the record does have sporadic fits of energetic playing.

Although its programming has been juggled a bit, and the CD has been given liner notes, this Delmark release is a straight reissue of the original LP. Clocking in at around 38 minutes, the relatively brief set is the only recording that exists of Vinson, pianist Jay McShann, and guitarist T-Bone Walker playing together; the sextet is rounded out by the fine tenor Hal Singer, bassist Jackie Sampson, and drummer Paul Gunther. Vinson, whether singing "Plese Send Me Somebody to Love," "Just a Dream," and "Juice Head Baby" or taking boppish alto solos, is the main star throughout this album (originally on Black & Blue), a date that helped launch Vinson's commercial comeback.

Duval is joined by Herb Robertson, Bob Hovey & Jay Rosen on a very coherent & varied free jazz album. To justify the title, the four musicians play an incredible array of instruments, including bass, electronics, trumpet, whistles, voices, flute harp, trombone, foreign language, turntable, drums, percussion, bells, shark, and even an egg beater.