Kenny Burrell & Grover Washington, Jr. - Togethering (1985)

In 1984, Capitol/EMI hired record exec Bruce Lundvall away from Elektra/Musician to be in charge of two major undertakings: 1) the launch of the Manhattan label, and 2) the resurrection of the legendary Blue Note jazz label, which had gone dormant in the 1970s. As far as the Blue Note relaunch, Lundvall had three goals: reissuing classic releases from the Blue Note heyday, releasing older music from the record label's vaults, and new releases from both established and emerging acts. This release was one of the latter.

As a fan of both Burrell and Washington (and all the other players, for that matter), I had high hopes for this album, but it just doesn't do much for me. The playing is surberb in this all-star, top-shelf session; so I guess it's the material that lets me down. Judging by the reviews below, I'm in the minority.

Liner notes by Burrell and Washington.

Burrell - acoustic and electric guitar
Washington - soprano and tenor saxophone
Ron Carter - bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums
Ralph MacDonald - percussion

Reviews/ratings:

• Stereo Review: "an excellent, straight-ahead album"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #16
• CashBox Jazz: #8
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #2

Tracks: I enjoy the second track, a samba entitled Sails Of Your Soul, and the third track, the ballad Daydream.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Grover Washington, Jr.
Prime Cuts 1987-1999 (1999)	The Best Is Yet To Come (1982)
Soulful Strut (1996)	Come Morning (1981)
All My Tomorrows (1994)	Winelight (1980)
Time Out of Mind (1989)	Skylarkin' (1980)
Anthology (1985)	Mister Magic (1975)
Inside Moves (1984)/Paradise (1979)	A Secret Place (1976)/All The King's Horses (1972)
Kenny Burrell
Have Yourself A Soulful Little Christmas (1966)	Midnight Blue (1963)

All The Best Sousa Marches

Canadian import

So I'm celebrating the Fourth of July holiday by spinning this Canadian disc I inherited from my father. It's heavy on marches but light on information. No dates, no performance/production credits, just titles and playing times. Heck, John Philip Sousa doesn't even get the courtesy of being listed by his full name much less his nickname of "The March King." Plus, in what little info we're given, there's a few typos. And don't get me started on the sloppy performances and production. Bottom line: there's many other march compilation discs that are much, much better than this one. Still, the thing leads off with Stars And Stripes Forever - the national march of the United States (36 U.S. Code § 304) - and that's patriotic enough for me this morning. It's getting me primed for the local July 4th parade and televised hot dog eating contests later today.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks, with links to program notes from the USMC:

1. Stars And Stripes Forever (1896)
2. Semper Fidelis (1888)
3. Diplomat March (1904)
4. The Invincible Eagle (1901)
5. The Liberty Bell (1893)
6. Hands Across The Sea (1899)
7. King Cotton (1895)
8. The Crusader (1888)
9. The Bridge Elect (1897)
10. Gladiator March (1886)
11. Manhattan Beach (1893)
12. High School Cadets (1890)
13. El Capitan (1896)
14. Washington Post (1889)
15. The Belle of Chicago (1892)
16. The Thunderer (1889)
17. U.S. Field Artillery (1917)
18. Hail To The Spirit Of Liberty (1900)

Sousa's most popular marches are here (tracks 1, 2, 5-7, 11-14, 16, 17) along with some which are rarely performed (3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 18). There's a common saying among band directors: "Obscure Sousa marches are usually obscure for good reason."

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: As a former "band guy" (over 25 years as a performer/conductor/composer/arranger) I am familiar with most of these marches and very familiar with a few of them. Liberty Bell, in particular, was one of my go-to marches to help teach young players about playing in a 6/8 time signature. I also have specific memories of playing Stars And Stripes Forever in high school and King Cotton & U.S. Field Artillery (a.k.a. The Caissons Go Rolling Along) in college. All told, I probably played at least two-thirds of these tunes at some point between the years of 1978-2004.

[This spot was filled with angry ramblings about the path I was forced to take while pursuing a music education degree, but I decided that sort of bitterness ultimately served no real purpose. Have a nice day.]

During my second year of teaching, another director in the same school district decided it would be a good idea to play the 1915 Sousa march, The Pathfinder of Panama, for a regional band contest. I was completely unfamiliar with that tune and that was when I first heard the "obscure" quote mentioned above.

The Style Council - The Singular Adventures Of The Style Council: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (1989)

Paul Weller's group after The Jam disbanded, this new group with a fantastic band name was active until 1989 and then Weller would begin releasing solo albums. The Style Council blended soul, jazz, pop, and R&B, often with socially conscious lyrics. Like their sophisti-pop contemporaries Simply Red, the group released music that is heavily polished and strongly influenced by '60s Motown. The group was much better received in their native UK than in the United States.

I completely missed The Style Council back in the '80s as I was listening to more jazz and classical music at the time when I was pursuing a music degree. That's a shame because 20 year old Mark would have loved this stuff.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart (#3 in UK)

Tracks:

	Title	Year	UK	US
1	You're The Best Thing	1984	5	76
2	Have You Ever Had It Blue (12" Version)	1986	14
3	Money Go Round (Parts 1 & 2)	1983	11
4	My Ever Changing Moods (12" Version)	1984	5	29
5	Long Hot Summer (12" Version)	1983	3
6	The Lodgers	1985	13
7	Walls Come Tumbling Down	1985	6
8	Shout To The Top!	1984	7
9	Wanted	1987	20
10	It Didn't Matter	1987	9
11	Speak Like A Child	1983	4
12	A Solid Bond In Your Heart	1983	11
13	Life At A Top Peoples Health Farm	1988	28
14	Promised Land	1989	27
15	How She Threw It All Away	1988
16	Waiting	1987	52

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Various Artists - Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 18 (1995)

Volume 18 of a 20 volume Rhino series. I had no plans to collect all 20 CDs, but they keep appearing in used bins and I simply can't help myself so we'll have to wait and see where this leads. From what I can ascertain, the later volumes released in 1995 are getting harder to find which normally translates to higher price tags, so I'm lucky I happened across this one because I think it is one of the strongest in the series. Singles included on this volume charted 1975 - 1977, the years in which I developed a serious commitment to radio and music.

Tracks, with Billboard chart peaks:

1. Give It What You Got - B.T. Express (1975, #40 pop, #5 R&B)
   If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The group's 1974 single Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)" topped the R&B chart in 1974 so this is more of the same as far as groove, style, and lyrical content are concerned. Not quite as successful on the pop chart this time around, though.
2. Wake Up Everybody (Part 1) - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (1975, #12 pop, #1 R&B, #34 AC) 
   Typical Philly Soul greatness from Teddy Pendergrass and company. Sadly, the lyrics continue to be relevant half a century after they were written.
3. Sweet Thing - Rufus feat. Chaka Khan (1975, #5 pop, #1 R&B)
   I listen to something this good and can't help from hollering, “@#$%&, Chaka! Sing that $#%!”
4. I'll Be Good To You - The Brothers Johnson (1976, #3 pop, #1 R&B)
   George & Louis Johnson teaming up with producer Quincy Jones made for several excellent collaborations. This was the first.
5. Kiss And Say Goodbye - The Manhattans (1976, #1 pop, #1 R&B, #12 AC)
   Recorded in Philadelphia with MFSB as the backing band, this is a fantastic slow jam. I love this song from the spoken intro to the smooth ever-so-slightly-out-of-tune doo-wop harmonies. A simple break up song, but oh so well done. Pleading, soulful vocals over an insistent, pulsing string hook. After a Barry White-ish spoken word bass voice intro, we're treated to a beautifully subtle, falsetto voice that grows in intensity for the next 3 minutes.
6. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls (1976, #2 pop, #1 R&B, #4 disco, #1 AC)
   Lou Rawls and Gamble & Huff? Gimme! What a voice and what a soulful pair of writer/producers.
7. Who'd She Coo? - Ohio Players (1976, #18 pop, #1 R&B)
   A play on the suggestive euphemism "hoochie coo," but when you've got a funk groove this good, lyrics are practically superfluous.
8. You Are My Starship - Norman Connors (1976, #27 pop, #4 R&B)
   Drummer/producer Connors sure could put together a solid group of musicians for his jazz/R&B albums. This one features vocals by Michael Henderson and a soprano sax solo by Gary Bartz. It was the biggest solo hit from Connors but is one of my least favorites cut from him. Go figure.
9. Dazz - Brick (1976, #3 pop, #1 R&B, #7 disco)
   Dazz is supposedly a combination of disco and jazz. I'm not sure that's what it is, but we're treated to mean flute solo.
10. Tryin' To Love Two - William Bell (1976, #10 pop, #1 R&B, #25 AC)
    This didn't get much airplay in west Texas so I don't recall hearing it as a child. That's my loss because this thing is fantastically smooth. I finally heard it about 15 years ago - better late than never.
11. I Wanna Get Next To You - Rose Royce (1976, #10 pop, #3 R&B, #9 AC)
    We're treated to another fantastic slow jam, this time from the mind of Norman Whitfield. I once included this one and Kiss And Say Goodbye (track 5) in a playlist I titled "The Greatest Slow Jam Mix Ever:
    
12. Best Of My Love - The Emotions (1977, #1 pop, #1 R&B, #11 disco)
    Written and produced by musical genius Maurice White. The bass line is awesome in its simplicity. Great groove throughout. The single deservedly won the Grammy award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Hearing most of these songs while riding around Odessa, Texas through the AM radio in my mother's yellow station wagon (a Ford Country Sedan, maybe?). Particular favorites at the time were Kiss And Say Goodbye, You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, and Best Of My Love. Other personal faves of 1976 can be found here: Counting down the Top 76 of '76

Previously revisited for the blog:

Volume 5	Volume 13
Volume 6	Volume 14
Volume 12	Volume 15

Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)

This blues compilation is Volume 3 in an extensive blues series of CDs from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection. The previous Texas blues compilation that appeared in this space focused on the southeastern part of the state, including Houston (that area is represented on the map below in pink/red). This compilation features artists from the central and northeastern parts of the state in a swath that includes Austin, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and parts of East Texas (blue on the map).

Only two artists appear on both compilations: Albert Collins & Gatemouth Brown. It is hardly surprising that the part of the state known for creation of the Texas blues subgenre is on the eastern side, closest to Mississippi, birth of the blues. Chronologically arranged (for the most part), this disc takes us from early Texas blues with its similarity to Texas swing music, through the introduction of boogie and R&B influences in the '50s and '60s, culminating in the rise in the '80s of Stevie Ray Vaughan's scorching electric blues.

Excellent, detailed liner notes by writer and music critic Alan Govenar, author of Meeting the Blues: The Rise of the Texas Sound.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Matchbox Blues	Blind Lemon Jefferson	1927
2	Cravin' A Man Blues	Lilian Glinn	1930
3	Driftin' Blues	Charles Brown	1945
4	Short-Haired Woman	Lightnin' Hopkins	1947
5	Call It Stormy Monday	T-Bone Walker	1947
6	Lucy Mae Blues	Frankie Lee Sims	1953
7	Texas Hop	Pee Wee Crayton	1948
8	Please Send Me Someone To Love	Percy Mayfield	1950
9	Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night	Zuzu Bollin	1952
10	Hound Dog	Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thorton	1953
11	Okie Dokie Stomp	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown	1954
12	The Freeze	Albert Collins & His Rhythm Rockers	1958
13	Ella Speed	Mance Lipscomb	1960
14	Down On Bending Knees	Johnny Copeland	1962
15	The Stumble	Freddy King	1970
16	C-Boy's Blues	The Fabulous Thunderbirds	1979
17	Flood Down In Texas	Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble	1986
18	Changing Neighborhoods	Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets	1987

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I'm thankful to my friend Jim for introducing me to Stevie Ray Vaughan's solo work when he bought the Couldn't Stand The Weather album back in 1984. Seventeen year-old me probably said something along the lines of "Hey! That sounds like David Bowie's guitarist on the Let's Dance album!" I may be a little slow on the uptake, but at least I eventually made the connection.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Blues Masters Sampler (1993)
Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)

Various Artists - Crucial Texas Blues (2004)

From 2003 - 2007, the Chicago-based blues label Alligator Records put out a series of 9 Crucial Blues samplers (Crucial Guitar Blues, Crucial Harmonica Blues, etc.). This Texas blues compilation focuses mainly on musicians from the southeastern part of the state: Houston and the "Golden Triangle" of Orange, Beaumont, and Port Arthur. As such, you can hear influences of New Orleans R&B, Texas boogie, and zydeco music.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks (artists from Houston or the Golden Triangle mark with an asterisk *):

	Artist	Title	Year
1	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown*	She Walks Right In	1989
2	Johnny Copeland* & Albert Collins*	Lion's Den	1985
3	Long John Hunter*	Both Ends Of The Road	1997
4	W.C. Clark	Midnight Hour Blue	2002
5	Katie Webster* & Lonnie Brooks*	Those Lonely, Lonely Nights	1991
6	Phillip Walker* with Long John Hunter*	Street Walkin' Woman	1999
7	Johnny Winter*	Tin Pan Alley	1986
8	Floyd Dixon	450 Pound Woman	1996
9	C.J. Chenier*	Richest Man	1995
10	Delbert McClinton	Standing On Shaky Ground	1989
11	Marcia Ball*	I'm Coming Down With The Blues	2001
12	Albert Collins*	Too Many Dirty Dishes	1986

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, although I have a distant connection to Orange, Texas. My mother was born and raised there and my grandfather served as both mayor and police chief in that coastal town. In 1959, my parents were married there at the Presbyterian church, reputedly the first structure west of the Mississippi River to have air conditioning and the only opalescent glass dome in the United States. For the most part, that side of my family has passed on or moved to other locations, but I believe one of my mother's first cousins still lives in the city.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Crucial Acoustic Blues (2007)

The Blue Nile - Peace At Last (1996)

My introduction to The Blue Nile is documented in my post for their 1989 album Hats, but not long after enjoying that album, I bought two other Blue Nile CDs, including this one. The music here is somewhat similar to Hats, but it incorporates some acoustic instruments and many tunes openly embrace gospel influences. Nevertheless, Peace At Last retains the introspective mood of previous albums; mood and atmosphere are as important to the music as melody. I hate to use a word from the album title to describe the album, but I certainly find this one to be quite peaceful.

I don't often mention lyrical content, but the religious overtones here cannot be ignored. Words such as prayers, saviour, peace, Jesus, angels, God, holy, mercy, etc. are liberally sprinkled throughout most of the tracks.

Press of the time:

• NME (3/10): "there are desperately few redeeming features to 'Peace At Last' at all."
• Entertainment Weekly (B): "lacks the poignant urgency of its predecessor."
• CashBox: "a real underground find, even though it's on a major label."
• Rolling Stone (★★): "predictably overwrought"
• Musician: feature article in the August 1996 issue

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Heatseekers: #48

Tracks: I don't often say this about full albums, but this one plays like one long track. Perfectly sequenced. While there's some variance in tempi from song to song, the whole thing is slow to mid-tempo with most cuts below 100 b.p.m.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Man-oh-man I wish I had come across this back in '96. This would have been perfect music for me as I entered my thirties.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Hats (1989)