Maretha

Inner City Blues kicks off with its title track, a burning version of the Marvin Gaye tune with Washington lending a heft and depth to it that reveals the sophistication of Gaye's original. From Airto's hand drums and the hi hat whispers of Muhammad to the chunky wah-wah guitar vamp and a funky bassline by Carter, it becomes clear that Washington's methods of deep soul articulation on his horn extend into the heart of this mix. James decorated his charts with subtle organ flourishes and his piano, but this is early jazz-funk at best.

Although Grover Washington Jr. (on alto, tenor, soprano and baritone) puts on his usual strong effort, the forgettable material (which included no hits) and the emphasis on vocals (particularly those of Jon Lucien who is on five of the seven selections) makes this one of Washington's weaker efforts and the least essential of his four Elektra recordings. The background vocalists do not help much either. This was Grover Washington, Jr.'s only full-length album as a leader during the 1982-86 period but was not worth the effort.

Eddie Harris - Silver Cycles (1968) {2013 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series WPCR-27474}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 254 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 91 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 16 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1968, 2013 Atlantic / Warner Japan / WEA / Rhino | WPCR-27474
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Saxophone / Varitone

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. Sweet silver cycles from Eddie Harris – a wonderful late 60s album that features lots of lines on the electrified Varitone saxophone, mixed with cool contributions from a shifting lineup of soulful musicians! The set's one of Eddie's real classics from the Atlantic years – completely inventive, but never in a gimmicky way – and a really great bridge between late 60s modes of funk, jazz, and soul – at the same level he'd serve up more famously in his collaborations with Les McCann! There's a lot of that same energy here, but the vibe is even tighter – and Harris really blows us away with his great arrangements, which get a slight bit of help from Arif Mardin. Other players include Melvin Jackson on bass, Seldon Powell on reeds, and Joe Zawinul on keyboards.