Thursday, May 23, 2013

NEW RELEASES - BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS, IN THE POCKET: 70S JAZZ FUNK, MILT JACKSON

BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS - RARE, RARER & RAREST

A sweet sweet selection of work from Blood Sweat & Tears – and one we love especially because it features their incredible instrumental work for the film The Owl & The Pussycat! The CD offers up a whopping 15 tracks from the film, all instrumentals that have this totally great sound that's unlike anything the group ever did vocally – much more laidback, jazzy, and with lots of sweet Hammond in the mix – often bubbling next to some funky backings, and topped with some great solos on trumpet or tenor too! These cuts are really wonderful – often hidden in the scenes in the film, and later buried next to dialogue bits on the soundtrack album – but presented here for the first time in all their instrumental glory – and showing a real blacksploitation funk side of the group. CD also features some rare mono singles – "Blues Part 2", "More & More", "And When I Die", and "Spinning Wheel" – plus the unreleased track "M", and the very cool "Krakbergravningen". ~ Dusty Groove

IN THE POCKET: 70S JAZZ FUNK (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

In the pocket, and plenty darn funky – a killer collection of 70s jazz funk that's heavy on electricity, yet still keeps things mighty sharp throughout! The groove is tight – tighter than the raw soul of the 60s jazz years – yet never uptight, as all these cuts are plenty fresh and freewheeling, and definitely preserve the most spontaneous vibe of the players. Some cuts have a bit of vocals, some have some larger backings, but all still have some great solos in the middle – with an especially strong emphasis on sweet keyboards! Titles include "Zauis" by Eddie Russ, "Barbara Ann" by Webster Lewis, "Coming To You Live" by Charles Earland, "Brazilica" by Ramsey Lewis, "Sinbad" by Weldon Irvine, "Put It In The Pocket" by Freddie Hubbard, "Palos" by Willie Bobo, "Chicago Theme" by Hubert Laws, "Hop Scotch" by Harvey Mason, and "In The Park" by Lonnie Liston Smith. ~ Dusty Groove

MILT JACKSON - MILT JACKSON SINGS WITH THE ENRICO INTRA GROUP

A rare Italian session from vibes genius Milt Jackson – and a set that features Milt on vocals instead of his usual instrument! The format here is really wonderful – and quite a change from what you might expect – as Milt's got this warm, raspy style of singing that's completely charming – and not unlike the really personal inflections he brings to his vibes. The core set features instrumentation by a small group that features Enrico Intra on piano, Giancarlo Barigozzi on alto and flute, Pallino Salonia on bass, and Gil Cuppini on drums – and two more tracks – "Hear Strings" and "Storia Di Un Amore" – feature a larger group. Two final numbers are instrumentals penned by Intra – "Intramood" and "Tribute To Milt" – both great! (Limited to 300 copies! Very cool package – with heavy sleeve and a bonus photo sheet too!) ~ Dusty Groove

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