Kenny Barron "Lucifer"

Since the last few ditties I’ve laid on you all have been of the private press variety, I figured I would pick a rarity from the vaults of one of my favorite 70’s jazz labels to share, Muse.

Kenny Barron recorded this album in 1975, at the age of 32 with the help of his brother and host of heavy jazz cats. The result is pure bliss. Not unlike his previous album (Peruvian Blue), Lucifer hands us a bit of a mixed bag as far as styles go. There are some scorching jazz-funk numbers, a spiritually tinged acoustic affair and an almost avant-garde fusion cut. Kenny even coined a term to describe his music called “Electracoustic Fusion” which is talked about in length on the back cover. Regardless of what its called, the music is surely one of the bright spots in Kenny’s career as a leader. As a bonus I also included a Buddy Rich track from his 1976 LP “Speak No Evil” where guest star Kenny just rips the Rhodes to pieces.


Kenny Barron - piano, el-p, clavinet, string synthesizer & cowbell
Bill Barron - soprano sax
James Spaulding – alto sax & bass flute
Charles Sullivan – trumpet
Carlos Alomar – acoustic & electric guitars
Chris White – electric bass
Billy Hart - drums


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Give me a shout when your out an about grabbing the link. Despite what you may think, the comments are what makes it all worth while.

Peace....................................The Doctor

Natural Life "Natural Life"

Sorry for the long delay between posts. July has been a super busy work month for me and has incidentally left me with a very small window for blogging. Well, regardless of my time constraints I thought I would throw a little something up before the weekend comes to a close.

Here’s some more private press jazz with its roots in the Minneapolis scene of the late 70’s. This self-titled album by Natural Life is made up of two studio sessions cut directly to disc. By the late 70’s overdubbing and studio tricks had become so prolific in jazz recordings that a few subversive jazz artists began to buck the trend and record direct to disc. Direct to disc meant no mistakes could be made, this could really only be pulled off by a group of players with great chops. Natural Life definitely had the chops to pull it off.

The album is made up of three extended cuts, which gives each player a chance to really showcase their skills. Each track is like a mini opus where musical styles and instrumentation change with frequency. Although the sound here sometimes borderlines on fusion, the groove is solid enough to keep things firmly grounded. In my opinion, the cast turns out something that’s worthy or preservation and shouldn’t be lost to total obscurity.

The Players:

Captain Mike Elliot – guitar
Sargent Bob Rockwell – tenor and soprano sax, flute
Bobby (Bobbette) Peterson – piano and electric piano
Corporal Billy Peterson – electric and string bass
Steve (Rainbows) Kimmel – congas, tables, and auxiliary percussion
Bill (Ice) Berg - drums

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Do you prefer good clean living? Then perhaps it's the natural life for you my friend. Leave some food for thought in the comments section.

Peace...................Dr. Fever

Bobby Jackson "Desiree"

Mystery time, I’ll tell you what I know about this record first and maybe someone out there can fill in the rest. This is Bobby Jackson from 1978 on the independent label “Ninth Note Records”. It was recorded at Moon Sound Studios in Minneapolis MN and engineered by Mike Geske.
Here’s the player list:

Bobby Jackson – Fender Rhodes
Bobby Hughes – alto sax
Tony Moreno – drums
Enrique Mercado Reyes – trombone
John Howard - bass

That’s about all I can give you. I tried my best to research the album and turned up a whole lot of nothing.

Who is Bobby Jackson? Well I can tell you this much, he’s one hell of a Rhodes player with a penchant for heavy grooves. His playing here is somewhat understated but purposefully so in it intentions. The buttery repetitive chords he spins provide a perfect platform for his cast of supporting players to build their solos upon. I particularly like his solo work on “Modetique”, where he uses one hand to lay down a solid line while the other hand just kind of zips off into the cosmos. On the whole, I was really impressed with this session, it sounds a bit like a lost album from the Black Jazz or maybe Strata East catalogue. Hopefully you'll find some listening pleasure in here as well.



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Are you a Bobby Jackson fan? Leave your love in the comments.

Peace.................Dr. Fever

Ray Bryant "Up Above The Rock"

Ok, Ok, I get it, no one seems to like the soul posts very much. So, I will make the move back to jazz for a spell. My musical tastes are really all over the board, so for me it’s natural to mix it up a bit, but the comments show a heavy lean towards the jazz end. Jazz, Jazz, Jazz it is…….........…….

This is easily my all time favorite Ray Bryant album. It was recorded in the fall of 1968 in NYC with a trio that consisted of Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on the drums, some cuts are also augmented by a small horn section made up of just flugelhorn and trumpet. The recording here is just right, its mixed in a way that pushes Tate’s hard and heavy drums right up front so you can really feel the funk. The drums are the perfect accompaniment to Bryant’s bluesy piano playing and lay a great framework for Ron’s snaky bass lines. The horns are amazing too, mainly focusing on short little licks and sounding almost like something you’d here out of Memphis. This is about as funky as Ray Bryant ever got, peep it and see what you think.


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Give me a little piece of your mind, in the comments section.

Peace.................................Dr. Fever

The Big Score

Damn!!! Had a stellar day at my fave little record store yesterday. Goes to show that it still pays to hit the pavement and bring a shovel for some serious digging. I must say, there's nothing quite like the hunt for the real deal. I sure do love me some vinyl!!!!!

I was thinking of the putting up the Bobby Jackson first. Any suggestions?

Peace.......................Dr. Fever

George & Gwen "Together"

As promised, here’s a little bit more SOUL for ya’ll from the Cat label. This is husband and wife team George and Gwen McCrae’s “Together” LP ala 1975. Actually, together might be a bit inappropriate since the two split shortly after this was recorded. Regardless, the LP yields some rather tasty cuts steeped in the magic of that classic T.K./Cat production style. Dirty man Clarence Reid (aka Blowfly) pens most of the songs here and if you take a listen to the lyrics it’s pretty obvious. My personal fave, “The Rub” became beat fodder in the hands of DJ Premier who used it for a nice Brand Nubian joint a few years back.



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If you like what I'm doin' here, don't be afraid to say so while your there chillin' in the comments section................

Peace ........................Dr. Fever

Monty Alexander "Rass!"

It's Friday night and about time to roll out another post. This one goes out to the newly created Magic Purple Sunshine blog that Ish has recently assembled. I thought I would contribute one of my all time faves from the MPS catalogue. This very rare Monty Alexander LP took me forever to track down and finally found it’s way into my hands via E-bay a couple of years back. I have to say it was one of those rare instances where the LP actually lives up to its hype. Monty lays down some wicked chilled out grooves on the Rhodes that pretty much blow away every other LP I’ve ever heard from him. There are a few Calypso cuts on here that aren’t really my cup of tea but the rest of the album is pure butter! Apparently, Monty traveled to his homeland of Jamaica to record this and was backed up by Jamaican studio musicians who supply the perfect compliment to his killer keyboard work . Sparrow Martin’s drums are rock solid and Ernest Ranglin’s guitar work is absolutely stellar. It’s really the perfect jazz album to sit back and enjoy on warm summer day. Give it a shot!!

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Keep showin' the love. Peace........... Dr. Fever