The Brothers Johnson - Right on Time (1977)

The second release for the duo of George "Lightnin' Licks" and Louis "Thunder Thumbs" Johnson more commonly referred to as The Brothers Johnson. Louis Johnson is primarily credited along with Larry Graham for developing the "slapping" technique for the electric bass. Both would go on to work on a variety of studio albums for such well-known acts as Michael Jackson due to their connection with producer Quincy Jones. The album opens up with "Runnin' for Your Lovin'," a track that is a great introduction to the style of the band; laidback funk tunes with driving bass lines, harmonized and background vocals, and ample use of horns in the backgrounds. What sets the style of the band apart from other funk outfits is that the vocals have a songlike quality rather than the shout-like style of James Brown or Parliament and the band uses a synthesizer in their background accompaniment on nearly every track. "Be Yourself, Free Yourself" is the kind of tune you would expect to come out of 1977; there's the octave jumps in the bass that exemplifies disco and the builds brought on by layered horns that build to a climax in the tune. The next track, the instrumental tune "Q," indefinitely named after producer Quincy Jones, won a Grammy in 1978 for best R&B Instrumental Performance and is a feature for the guitar of George Johnson and the synthesizer work of Dave Grusin, who consequently is more famous for his work as a jazz pianist and a film scorer. The title track "Right on Time" is in a moderate tempo which features the synthesizer predominately in the chorus when the synthesizer "trades twos" with the repeated vocal. The big highlight of this tune is the breakdown with the alternated horn entrances which go to the end of the tune. "Strawberry Letter 23," a Shuggie Otis tune, is probably one of the most well-known tracks by the group. The prime differences from the original are that the bass line is more driving and funky, the vocals of George Johnson are smoother and more rubato, and most importantly the prominence of the drums. However, most of the song even down to the guitar lines and the chimes are verbatim from the original by Otis. "Brother Man" is another instrumental jam tune, but funkier than "Q." Overall, it's a lot less interesting than "Q" because of the musical form. There are really only two sections to the tune, the synth melody and the funk response. These two ideas combine at the end with the synth (and later the guitar) soloing over the funk jam. "Never Leave You Lonely" starts out as a laidback vocal tune dominated by the texture of synth, triangle, and a relaxed bass line which is juxtaposed to a funk section with a double time feel where the bass and the guitar pull out all the stops. The final track, "Love Is," is in a drastically different style in that it features acoustic guitar and vocals. It's a pretty cheesy track in my own opinion, but the album as a whole shouldn't be judged by the shortcomings of one track.

Woody Herman - Big New Herd at the Monterey Jazz Festival (1960)

This album, recorded at the 1959 Monterey Jazz Festival, features Herman's standard band studded with alumni such as trumpeters Conte Candoli and Al Porcino, tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, guitarist Charlie Byrd, trombonist Urbie Green, and vibraphonist Vic Feldman. It is also important to note that this album is one of the first Herman albums to feature a young Bill Chase on lead trumpet; a player that would have quite a history with the band through the 1960s. The set opens with the famous Jimmy Giuffe sax section feature "Four Brothers" which really put Herman on the map in 1947. It's important to note that when this tune came out, big bands weren't really playing bop influenced material. The exceptions to this were the bands of Billy Eckstine, Claude Thorhill, and Woody Herman. Eckstine was notable for having Dizzy and Bird in his band for a time and Thornhill's arranger Gil Evans arranged tunes such as "Donna Lee" and "Anthropology" for the band. Herman's band, however, endured the financial hardships of the late 1940s and was the last remaining figure of these early big band voyeurs into the bop style. The second track "Like Some Blues Man" is one of my personal favorites on the album and features solos by Vic Feldman, Conte Candoli, and Charlie Byrd. The real energy in this tune comes from the star-studded trumpet section which really gets to shine in between the solos and at the very end of the chart. "Skoobeedoobee" is a great tour-de-force by the whole band alternating sax and brass section soli and featuring solos by Zoot Sims, Urbie Green, and Woody Herman. The band shows a real tightness of rhythm throughout the whole track; the sort of thing that only happens when its a mature ensemble with great lead players. "Monterey Apple Tree" is a reworked version of Herman's "Apple Honey" and is quite a treat for the extended solos by a large number of players throughout the entire band. The next track "Skylark" is a wonderful for trombonist Urbie Green (a personal favorite of mine) and an earlier example of a chart that he would record on The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green, Vol. 2 in 1961. "Skylark" shows the ensemble's variety of dynamics from the soft backgrounds of the saxes and muted brass to the boisterous runs and "pops" where the brass takes out all the stops. Urbie's warm, dark tone makes "Skylark" a great break on an album that has mostly uptempo charts. The album closes with "Magpie" a great swinging chart with solo breaks and a magnificent close with the clarinet of the leader. This album is a real harbinger to the success that the 1960s Thundering Herd would experience.

Carole King - Tapestry (1971)

Tapestry was a critical and popular success that catapulted Carole King into the spotlight. This album is the next subject of the singer/songwriter trend in popular music I started with Laura Nyro's Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. This album could be viewed as one of the peaks in the commercial success of singer/songwriter music which is why is it the next installment. Many people are familiar with the tracks "I Feel the Earth Move," "It's Too Late," or "You've Got a Friend" which is not really true with the singer/songwriter material I covered earlier. Stylistically, King does many of the same things that both Nyro and Rundgren did before her such as embracing a variety of styles and overdubbing her own voice to create lush harmonizations. The early 1970s, specifically 1970-1972, seem to be the real golden age for singer/songwriter music as the style began to enjoy a lot of critical and financial success. The album opens with the classic track " I Feel the Earth Move" which is most interesting for the rhythmic transition in the bridge from a very uptempo song to a more laidback feel. This is one track where you can really see King's influence of jazz music such as the solo exchange between the piano and the guitar which seem to have a jazz feel. The rest of the album is really in strict stylistic contrast to the first track as the majority of the album is ballads. One of my personal favorites is "So Far Away" because it has such a marvelous development. The track begins with little instrumentation (piano, voice) and slowly builds to have a wide instrumentation including even congas and flute. Yet, in the same way that it builds, it fades with only flute, guitar, and drums. I also enjoy how the piano outlines the beat allowing the bass to act like a countermelody. "It's Too Late" shows again how King is the master of the transition. The song starts out in such a laidback feel, that's it is a bit of surprise when the chorus approaches and the tone of the track changes entirely. The transition is carried out by the piano and the guitar that syncopates the accompaniment rhythm right before the chorus. Part of the success of this album is not only the melodies, but the lyrics provided by King's songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. It's lyrics like these that give the empowering quality to a song like "Beautiful." After listening to "You've Got a Friend," you may question why the James Taylor cover has become the quintessential version of this tune. The vocal tones of King combined with the orchestrated strings provide an infinitely more complex emotional delivery than the very under-orchestrated version by Taylor. The piano is definitely the driving force behind this album. It is the key to nearly every transition and the perfect compliment to Goffin's lyrics sang by King. I only highlighted the well-known songs or personal favorites on the album, but there really isn't a bad track on the album.

Chick Corea & Return to Forever - Light as a Feather (1972)

Chick Corea & Return to Forever's second album is a fine example of fusion with a variety of Latin influences. The album starts out with the track "You're Everything" which Corea has noted is his favorite vocal track that he has ever released. The track begins with Corea ornamenting the head chart in a slow tempo utilizing mostly block chords with vocalist Flora Purim coming in with the words. What's great about this opening section, is the sensitivity by with Corea and Purim present the original theme. The rest of the band then enters when Corea moves into double-time and takes on a very syncopated Latin feel throughout the rest of the track. When analyzing the form of the piece, it is relatively simplistic, but it is the transitions engineered by Corea and the backgrounds on the flute by Joe Farrell that really make for a great track. The second track "Light as a Feather" starts out with vocals, but it is much more of a display of the instrumental soloists when considering the entirety of the track. Corea's work on the Fender Rhodes on this track is quite remarkable; his improvisational interpretations against the rhythmic pulse of the track show a very mature soloist when you consider how well he develops the motives and transitions to new ideas. Joe Farrell and bassist Stanley Clarke get to showcase their ability on their respective instruments and Farrell also displays his ability in the altissimo range of his horn. "Captain Marvel" is definitely the most uptempo chart on the album and primarily showcases Chick Corea's technical ability whether it be his fast runs or his ability to comp Farrell's flute with syncopated chords. The real masterpiece of the album is Corea's chart "Spain," which along with "La Fiesta" on Return to Forever make up his most well-known compositions. The beginning of "Spain" is a direct quotation from the Adagio (second) movement Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez a guitar concerto famously performed by such guitarists as Paco de Lucia. Interestingly enough, "Spain" comes twelve years after Miles Davis released Gil Evans' rendition on Sketches of Spain in 1960. "Spain" is an upbeat chart that melded jazz fusion with flamenco elements. Not only is Spain groundbreaking in its use of flamenco harmony, it is also groundbreaking in its use of syncopated rhythmic material. Light as a Feather is one of the finest records released by Return to Forever and is a perfect showcase of Corea's playing after he "went electric."

Egg - Egg (1970)

Before digging into Egg's eponymous debut, it's important to discuss the journalistic sub-genre known as Canterbury scene. Canterbury scene is one of those genres that journalists have created in order to have a shorthand for a particular sound. Really Canterbury scene seems to be an attempt to classify those bands that follow in the musical or historical traditions forged by the Canterbury band Soft Machine. Egg has the whimsical nature that many progressive rock bands around the Canterbury area had at the same time, so they are often incorporated into this sub-genre. However, this was not a term used by musicians at the time and due to the fact that the London-based Egg had no real geographical connection to Canterbury, it could be very difficult to substantiate this claim that Egg is indefinitely a Canterbury scene band. In saying that, I will review it as a progressive rock album while making allusions to the "Canterbury scene bands." My personal favorite and the track that screams high progressive rock is a treatment of Bach's Fugue in D Minor. "Fugue in D Minor" is executed magnificently by keyboardist Dave Stewart, whose playing is consequently the highlight of the album in general. "Fugue in D Minor" is a perfect example of Stewart's classical training, as you can hear that he is indefinitely using the correct fingering. Interpretations of classical pieces were not uncommon in the 1970s in general, but "Fugue in D Minor" is an excellent example of a modern interpretation that does not take too much artistic liberty with the original. The drums are simply outlining the beat without complicating or making the rhythm sounds muddy. The bass is also simply outlining a sort of figured bass albeit incorporating modern elements. "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano" starts out with long, sweeping piano runs that can't help but make the listener think of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." Yes, this track predates that one, but it's true and quite funny. Along with "Bulb" and "Boilk," these tracks make up the atonal "noise rock" part of the album. It's for tracks like "I Will Be Absorbed," "The Song of McGillicudie the Pusillanimous," and "Seven Is a Jolly Good Time" that Egg gets the Canterbury scene moniker. The strange lyrical subjects combined with unexpected musical transitions combine to create the whimsical nature that is known as Canterbury scene. For instance, "Seven Is a Jolly Good Time" uses the lyrics to anticipate the rhythmic changes to come up. However, in general they are in strange time signatures. "I Will Be Absorbed" begins in 9/4 with a transitional section in 7/4 grouped in two bar phrases. "The Song of McGillicudie the Pusillanimous" is primarily in 5/8 while "Seven Is a Jolly Good Time" begins in 4/4, progresses to 5/4 with the chorus arriving in 7/4. Later in the track there is also a section in 11/4. A good portion of the album is Symphony No. 2 making good use of classical themes from such material as Grieg's Peer Gynt (specifically "In the Hall of the Mountain King"). In fact, the Third Movement was not originally included due to copyright issues with the Stravinsky estate. Overall, this album has a lot of overlying trends in progressive rock throughout it, and while I'm hesitant to call it Canterbury scene, that term can be helpful in explicating the album. Typically in music history when we use a term such as Canterbury scene or the Viennese school, we are talking about a particular group of musicians confined to a geographic location. However, Canterbury scene does not fit this fold and rather tries to use the term despite geography. This can be quite problematic as it is possible that similar trends develop independently. Perhaps Egg's sound is derived from the sound of Canterbury band Soft Machine, but doing more than speculating is problematic.

Rick James - Come Get It! (1978)

Rick James is known colloquially for his appearance on Chapelle's Show and musically for his single "Super Freak," and James's auspicious debut in the late 1970s comes on strong with all of that. With tracks entitled "Sexy Lady," "Dream Maker," and "Mary Jane" it's easy to see that the whole sex and drugs routine was there from the very beginning. Musically Come Get It! is a great album which opens and closes with live footage of James and the Stone City Band. In the studio, the band is really just James on most of the instruments and in fact it wasn't until later in his career that the band existed in any other form other than live.  The two big singles from the album are "You and I" and "Mary Jane" which really started his career off. "Mary Jane," an obvious ode to marijuana is great for its laidback guitar accompaniment and especially the effect on James's voice in the chorus on the words "Do You." One of the great things about this album in general is James's willingness to embrace a variety of electronic effects and instruments without them compromising the integrity of the intimate feel of his music. My favorite tune on the album is probably "Be My Lady" because it uses layered vocal harmony well in addition to having interesting horn parts and breakdowns. "Be My Lady" also has James paying homage to his origins in Buffalo. In conjunction with "Hollywood," James seems to be coming to terms with being a musician in the spotlight Rick James once famously declared himself the "King of Punk Funk" at the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh, but surprisingly it is hard not to notice the influence of disco on the album. The vocal parts, the guitar parts in "You and I" and "Sexy Lady,"and the open hi-hat are all very characteristic of disco throughout the album. The album showcases James's signature bass lines, which really made James the figure he was. However, tunes like "Hollywood" show how well James had control of the tenor range of his voice. James was really a fantastic writer and arranger, it's just a shame that he had personal and legal problems in his later career that really inhibited musical growth in his later career.

George Benson - Breezin' (1976)

Famous for the tune "This Masquerade," Benson's 1976 release Breezin' catapulted Benson into the pop spotlight. Despite this album being released it's hard to not notice a connection to Benson's long-time label CTI Records. Keeping in mind Creed Taylor's seeming philosophy of mixing the artistic with the commercial seems to really apply to this album to a degree. In many ways Breezin' is a softer side to his work with CTI and Benson definitely "crossed over" more to achieve his pop success. The title track was written by Bobby Womack and the arrangement of Breezin' closely resembles an earlier version by Gábor Szabó, who disdained Benson's commercial success with his work. However, "This Masquerade" is the real commercial success of the album featuring vocals by Benson and his impressive ability to sing in unison with his guitar while soloing. An arrangement of José Feliciano's "Affirmation" is a personal favorite of mine because compared to the rest of the album it is a more intimate track without the massive instrumentation on the majority of the album. This track also meshes well with Benson's cool, lyrical approach to guitar and probably is the best example of the extremes of his technique. Breezin' really is an album of its time with orchestral accompaniment, electric piano, and a cool, laidback feel that is so intimately tied with the mid-1970s in music. However, the album is some of Benson's finest commercial work without compromising his identity as a jazz guitarist. Breezin' was the harbinger of Benson's real pop success to come like  "On Broadway" and "Give Me the Night."

Todd Rundgren - Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren (1971)

I've been looking to upload this album for awhile, but I like the variety my blog has so I try to space out posts that have the same artists. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren builds off what was established in Runt. The "Runt" persona built around a quirky and dark humor turns to a slower side with an album primarily composed of ballads. As far as early Todd Rundgren albums go, this is the most dominated by Rundgren's piano playing. Even Something/Anything? doesn't have the myriad  of ballads or relaxed tunes like this album does. "Long Flowing Robe" starts out at the album and is ironically the one really uptempo, upbeat track on the album. From its opening seconds with the electric harpsichord and the ironic lyrics "Long Flowing Robe" has a witty sense of humor about a lustful man and excellent use of overdubbed vocal harmony by Rundgren. After the opening track, the album goes to a depressing side as the album artwork would suggest. "Wailing Wall" is the next standout track whose lyrics suggest an elaborate personification of his own depression which reveals itself throughout the progression of the track. The lyrics match well with the sparse treble piano chords accompanied by a low bass line and Rundgren's soft falsetto that show real emotion. "The Range War" is noteworthy because of the typical Rundgren quirky humor which is evident throughout his career. "Chain Letter" starts out with Rundgren's falsetto voice accompanied by guitar and builds to an rhythmically upbeat section. That being said, the intro recalls an old love and the following section comments on the disillusioned voice of the intro. The next highlight and my favorite track of the album is "Be Nice to Me." The handbells really add a great layering effect to a track full of Rundgren's treble piano full of treble chords and a driving bass line." As usual, this track owes a lot to Rundgren's soft falsetto and the numerous instances of vocal harmony being overdubbed. If you liked my post of Runt or like the hits like "Hello It's Me" or "I Saw the Light," The Ballad of Todd Rundgren is definitely worth a listen.

Maynard Ferguson - Chameleon (1974)

This album has a lot of personal history for me as it was the first jazz album (even though it's crossover jazz) I ever listened to. Consequently it's also the album I listened to when I realized I wanted to pursue music as a career. I would never say that Maynard's 70s material is his finest work, but it is accessible. This album is really the last before Maynard totally embraced disco and in turn commercialism in the late 70s with Conquistador. The opening title track "Chameleon" is a great take on the Herbie Hancock classic that came out earlier that year on Head Hunters. One of the highlights of the album is the following track "Gospel John," a Jeff Steinberg tune famous for its intro that reminds the listener of a preacher. "Gospel John" is also noteworthy for showcasing Maynard as a multi-instrumentalist as he plays the melody following the intro on baritone. The Randy Purcell arranged "The Way We Were" features his fine lyrical trombone work, but also shows his ability as an arranger incorporating a variety of textures and colors in his backgrounds. "La Fiesta" is a track Maynard borrowed from band alumnus Chick Corea is also one of the highlights of the album. The Rhodes piano and the horn lines sound like jazzed-up mariachis, but through the rhythmic shifts the band changes its feel to a more straight-forward jazz feel. "La Fiesta" is truly a great arrangement for its incorporation of Latin elements while maintaining a big band rhythmic feel. The last two tracks are noteworthy because Ferguson typically incorporated at least one tune into his albums that was from an earlier time or sounds like it should be. The Gershwin/Duke tune "I Can't Get Started" was made famous by Bunny Berigan in 1937 and Maynard like so many other trumpet players feels the need to record the song. Ferguson's version is different in that many of the words are altered. For instance, "Stan Kenton made me a star" shows personal history, but there's just the plain humorous lines like "I was invited to tea by the queen/Linda Lovelace." The final track and final highlight of the album is "Superbone Meets the Bad Man" an uptempo bop tune that gets its name from the instrument Maynard is playing and baritone saxophonist Bruce Johnstone's nickname. The Superbone is a combination slide/valve trombone designed by Maynard and played by himself and Don Ellis in the mid-to-late 1970s. While Maynard definitely sticks more to the valves than the slide, he and Johnstone produce some magnificent solos and a great close to an album.

My Philosophy

I know it's been awhile since I last posted and reviewed an album. One thing you might not consider is that when you start a blog the material you have in your "immediate consciousness" will soon dwindle until the point where you have "digest" new albums. I could review albums as I listen to them, but I don't think the product would be quite as good. I like to have an "intimate relationship" with an album; I will listen to it intently for a few weeks. This way I know more than the songs that stand out. I can actually dissect the musical elements of the piece, rather than talk about the album in poetic terms reinforced by my own emotional aestheticism. The month of August has been so spotty due to my need to listen to more material at a rate that I was posting, which really isn't possible. I do have posts planned month in advance, but there's a reason I'm not posting them now. I try to have a decent mixture, so I won't post two albums by the same artist a week apart from each other. All this being said, you should expect another album by the end of the week and at least two by Thursday next week.