Charles Earland

Charles Earland - Leaving This Planet (1973) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000}
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© 1973, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCC0-90341
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Organ

One of the greatest albums ever from organist Charles Earland – a double-length set that's filled with spiritual, soaring grooves! The style here is a perfect blend of the rougher soul jazz of Earland's roots with some of the spacier styles of his later recordings – served up in a sound that's majestic and powerful, almost with an indie soul jazz sort of vibe overall! There's an immediate urgency to most numbers that's totally undeniable – a lesson learned from the electric experiments of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, but fused down into a core essence – then let loose on a soaring journey to the heavens.

Charles Earland - Black Drops (1970) {Prestige OJCCD-1078-2 rel 2002}
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© 1970, 2002 Prestige / Fantasy | OJCCD-1078-2
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Hard Bop / Organ

The late '60s and early '70s were a very productive time for Charles Earland. At his best, the organist delivered five-star gems during that period, such as Black Talk and Living Black – and at his worst, he provided decent, if unremarkable, albums like Black Drops. Although not in a class with Black Talk or Living Black, this Bob Porter-produced soul-jazz/hard bop LP is satisfying and generally enjoyable.

For 1972's Intensity, Charles Earland's fifth of ten Prestige discs, the Mighty Burner seemed to be aiming toward something a little different than his usual collection of soulful tenor-organ jams. The presence of two songs from the rock group Chicago and a small trumpet-dominated horn section indicate that jazz-rock was the goal. The result, the LP's four original tracks plus two tracks from the same date originally released as part of Charles III, is one of his very best.

Recorded in 1970 at the Key Club, Living Black! is notable for many reasons, not the least of which is that it showcased Earland in a live setting at his most inspired. From choosing his sidemen to material to reading the audience to pure instrumental execution, there isn't a weak moment on this date, nor a sedentary one. Earland makes the band roll on all burners from the git and never lets up. Consisting of four extended tunes, there's the burning rhythm and stomp of "Key Club Cookout," which blazes with wisdom and rhythm fire. Earland's own soloing is revelatory, but it is the way he drags absolutely unexpected performances from his sidemen that makes him so special as a bandleader. In this case, Grover Washington never played like this again on a record; deep in the soul groove on his tenor, he turned it inside out, looking for new embouchures in which to get the sounds out of the horn…

Charles Earland - Coming To You Live (1980) {2016 Japan Crossover & Fusion Collection 1000 Series SICJ 141}
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© 1980, 2016 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 141
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Groove / Organ

Reissue with the latest 2016 remastering. Comes with liner notes. One of Charles Earland's sweet albums from his years at Columbia Records – done in a mode that's much more R&B than his earliest work, but in a style that's still A-OK with us! The groove here is greatly helped out by arrangements from Tom Washington, Weldon Irvine, and Marcus Miller – all great talents for mixing soul into Earland's jazzier keyboards – yet in a way that still keeps all of the best elements intact! Many of the tracks feature vocals, but in a gently soulful way that glides in nicely alongside the keys – and speaking of keys, Charles plays Fender Rhodes and Arp here in addition to his usual organ.

Charles Earland - Scorched, Seared & Smokin': The Best of "The Mighty Burner" (2011) {HighNote Digital Issue rec 1997-1999}
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© 1997-99, 2011 HighNote Records
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Organ / Keyboards

Charles Earland, known as 'The Mighty Burner' spent his happiest and most productive years at HighNote Records. This is the ultimate Charles Earland 3-CD retrospective. Featuring CHARLES EARLAND and the talents of Eric Alexander, Najee, Carlos Garnett, Melvin Sparks, Irene Reid, Jim Rotondi, Bernard Purdie, Bob DeVos and others.

The young organist Charles Earland converted the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” into an anthem called “Black Talk” and came up with one of the huge soul-jazz hits of the early Seventies. In this album, Earland worked the same magic with two other pop songs, “Aquarius” and “More Today than Yesterday,” giving them the urgency and forward movement of R&B but managing to inject them with jazz values. He was greatly aided by a pair of soloists—trumpeter Virgil Jones and tenor saxophonist Houston Person—who added fuel to Earland’s fiery concept. Guitarist Melvin Sparks and the quintessential soul jazz drummer Idris Muhammad helped keep the blaze going.

Charles Earland is among the most consistent of organists, with nearly every one of his recordings on that instrument (as opposed to his interlude on synthesizers) being easily recommended to soul-jazz and hard bop collectors. For this CD, Earland heads a sextet also including trumpeter Virgil Jones (long an underrated player), Bill Easley on tenor, guitarist Bobby Broom, drummer Buddy Williams and occasionally Frank Colon on conga. Other than a throw-away version of the theme from Moonlighting, the mostly basic music on this set is rewarding, with Earland infusing the tunes with plenty of grease and funk.