Tee

This eight-CD set should be a part of any collection that presumes to take American music - not just rock & roll or rhythm & blues - seriously. Atlantic Records was one of dozens of independent labels started up after the war by neophyte executives and producers, but it was different from most of the others in that the guys who ran it were honest and genuinely loved music. Coupled with a lot of luck and some good judgment, the results trace a good chunk of the history of American music and popular culture. Disc one opens with cuts which slot in somewhere midway between jazz, bop, and "race" music (as the term was used then). Disc two is pure, distilled R&B, the stuff filling the airwaves of black radio and the jukeboxes in the "wrong" parts of town in 1952-54….

Although a bit streaky, this is one of Tom Scott's better recordings of the 1980s. A live set with guitarists Eric Gale (whose bluesy playing is a strong asset) and Hugh McCracken, keyboardist Richard Tee, electric bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Steve Gadd and percussionist Ralph MacDonald, Scott sounds fine when playing tenor, although his decision to use the anonymous-sounding lyricon on some numbers is a mistake. Also on the minus side are Dr. John's cameo appearance singing "So White and So Funky," the repertoire in general (which includes four forgettable Scott originals), and some of the less imaginative rhythms.

There aren't a whole lot of bands like Mandrill! Even in the days of War and Santana where the psychedelic stew and different latin styles were all merging together……this particular band was a standout. Mainly due to the heavy rootedness of their music. Throughout this 1975 album the band serve up a set of tunes that blend rather forboding,dark funk with surreal strings,harmonies and wah-wahs such as on the compelling "Wind On Horseback","Yucca Jump" and the title song. They really rock hard in a funky place (best term I could use-thanks Prince) on "Tee Vee",a song whose message and almost proto hip-hop groove predates the Disposable Heroes Of Hisprocrisy's "Television" by about fifteen years. There are also some hardcore grooves such as "Peck Ya Neck" and "Stop & Go".

Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the second album from Sweden's Crowne, "Operation Phoenix" will be released on January 27, 2023. Once again produced by band member Jona Tee (H.E.A.T., New Horizon), "Operation Phoenix" sees the collective delivering a stunning tour-de-force of melodic hard rock with hints of metal influence mixed in. Comprised of vocalist Alexander Strandell (Art Nation), keyboardist/producer Jona Tee (H.E.A.T.), bassist John Levén (Europe), drummer Christian Lundqvist (The Poodles), and new full-time member, guitarist Love Magnusson (Dynazty), Crowne is a true force to be reckoned with.

This is a decent set that could have been a great one. Flutist Herbie Mann had a reunion in 1992 with many of his former sidemen (tenorman David "Fathead" Newman, guitarist Cornell Dupree and keyboardist Richard Tee) along with his contemporary pianistvocalist Les McCann and they play a wide ranging program of music (highlighted by "Moanin'," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Sunny," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and "Amazing Grace"). But somehow once one gets beyond the nostalgia, the performances seem workmanlike and surprisingly uninspired, unlike Herbie Mann's live concerts with this group during the period.

Flutist Herbie Mann opened up his music on this date for Push Push (and during the era) toward R&B, rock and funk music. The results were generally appealing, melodic and danceable. On such songs as "What's Going On," "Never Can Say Goodbye," "What'd I Say" and the title cut, Mann utilizes an impressive crew of musicians, which include guitarist Duane Allman and keyboardist Richard Tee.

One has to hand it to the Japanese for caring for the United States jazz tradition in all its guises better than people in the U.S. do. Consider this 1979 album by Eric Gale. While the funky rubric of soul-jazz was deeply informed by disco in the late '70s, that didn't mean the music being created was without considerable merit. This disc is a case in point – and it cannot be had in the United States. Teamed with the funk-jazz mafia of Richard Tee, Harvey Mason, Steve Gadd, Ralph MacDonald, Dave Grusin, and Grover Washington, Jr., as well as Charles Earland and Idris Muhammad on the stellar groove jam "Trio" (the album's highlight), Gale offers up six midrange tunes that run the gamut from deeply funky…

Sadao Watanabe - Orange Express (1981) {2016 Japan Crossover & Fusion Collection 1000 Series SICJ 167}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 334 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 116 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 312 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1981, 2016 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 167
Jazz / Fusion / Groove / Crossover Jazz / Saxophone / Flute

Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. Sadao Watanabe hits a sweet fusiony groove – riding the Orange Express to LA, and picking up some great Dave Grusin arrangements on the way! The album's got the sweetly soulful finish of others from the classic years of Japanese fusion – a style that's as much influenced by mainstream soul as it is by jazz – but which comes across with some top-shelf playing throughout, thanks to a lineup that includes George Benson, Bobby Broom, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, and Marcus Miller – not to mention Watanabe and Grusin themselves! Titles include "Orange Express", "Ride On", "Straight To The Top", "Mbali Africa", and "Bagamoyo/Zanzibar".