Swamp King

His second album released In 1969 originally on the Monument Label. Produced by the acclaimed Billy Swan. Includes his original version of 'Rainy Night In Georgia', a huge hit for Brook Benton & covered by many including Hank Williams Jr., Shelby Lynne & Randy Crawford.

An all-star cast assists Maynard Ferguson in this disco-tinged big-band outing. Ferguson's trademark trumpet playing is featured in all its screaming glory, and Mark Colby contributes a couple of high-energy sax solos. "Primal Scream" and "Invitation" sound as though they were lifted right off the mid-'70s disco dancefloor, complete with T.S.O.P.-type strings and pulsing rhythms. "Pagliacci," too, has the disco beat pounding underneath a Jay Chattaway adaptation of an operatic melody, with Bobby Militello featured on an energetic, overblown flute solo. Chick Corea's "The Cheshire Cat Walk" sounds like latter-day Return to Forever, as Corea's synth trades licks with Ferguson's horn over a familiar RTF rhythmic/chordal bassline sequence. The final cut, Eric Gale's "Swamp," stands out because of its reggae beat.

John Lurie - Down By Law/Variety (1987) {Crammed Discs MTM 14 CD}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 175 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 81 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 13 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1987 Crammed Discs | MTM 14 CD | Made To Measure Series
Jazz / Modern Creative / Modern Jazz / Score

This release complies two John Lurie film scores from the mid-'80s; the first for the Jim Jarmusch indie classic Down By Law and the second for Bette Gordon's lesser-known Variety. Listeners familiar with Lurie's flagship project, the Lounge Lizards, or other groups from the downtown New York scene of the day should find the seedy, avant-noir vibe of Down By Law immediately familiar. This should come as no surprise as a number of musicians from that project (guitarists Marc Ribot and Arto Lindsay, percussionist E.J. Rodriguez, etc.) are also represented here.

Surprisingly enough, this is not the by-the-numbers, let's-get-this-over-with album most expect when confronted by the idea of yet another blues supergroup. These grand old men of the modern blues push themselves and each other, stretching their chops and voices to the limit.