Mark Matthews

David Matthews & Electric Birds - Digital Love (1979) {Japan Electric Bird The Best 1000 Series KICJ-2371 rel 2014}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 298 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 106 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remastering
© 1979, 2014 Electric Bird / King Record Japan | KICJ-2371
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Fusion

Reissue with the latest 24-bit remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. Fast and funky fusion from David Matthews – building off the sound of his later Kudu recordings with a sweet electric groove! The album's got a pretty full approach overall – with Matthews on electric piano, and directing a large group of players that includes Mike Maineri, Michael Brecker, Jon Faddis, Shunzo Ohno, and Ronnie Cuber – and a number of tracks feature a vocal chorus that includes Ullanda McCullough and Yvonne Lewis. The overall style is slick, but not in a bad way – and Matthews more than meets the Japanese fusion sound head to head for this non-US release from the time!

"Grand Connection" from David Matthews - one of the keyboardist's fusion sets for the Japanese Electric Bird label, who gave Matthews a great showcase for his electric grooves in the 80s! The sound here is kind of an extension of the funky electric big band sides that Matthews scored for Kudu and CTI in the late 70s - smoother than his funky work from the early days, in the Japanese fusion style of the time, but with a bit more big band leanings - given a slightly larger lineup. Players include Grover Washington Jr on tenor and soprano sax, George Young on alto and flute, Gerry Niewood on tenor and flute, Joe Shepley on trumpet, Mark Egan on bass, and Earl Klugh on guitar - and titles include "Sugar", "Sails Of Your Soul", "Begin The Beguine", and "Soft & Funky".

Much worthy English music issues from the atéliers of minor talents and has a cottage or "small beer" quality. Of course "small beer" (locally brewed) can put the grand variety to shame, and so too in music, where dedication within limitation can produce work of exceptional beauty and character. John Ireland is one such (a miniaturist extraordinaire); Gerald Finzi (1901-1957) is another. Finzi, although of Italian-Jewish extraction, was London-born and in many ways more English than his teacher Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The ninth studio album from Dave Matthews Band Come Tomorrow will be released on June 8 via RCA Records.