Seawind - Light the Light/Seawind (1979/1980)

UK import

A remastered two-fer reissue from the Hawaiian band (1974-82) who created sophisticated, uplifting soft rock featuring silky harmonies, jazz-funk grooves, polished arrangements, and - most importantly - tasty horn licks. Why are the horn parts so important? Founding band member and trumpeter Jerry Hey wrote most of the band's characteristic horn arrangements. When Seawind moved from Hawaii to California in the mid-1970s, the "Seawind Horns" quickly developed a reputation among studio musicians and producers. Quincy Jones discovered Hey's talents and he became the go-to horn arranger/player in many Los Angeles studios.

It's not an exaggeration to call Hey one of the most important horn arrangers in the history of pop music. He's been nominated for 11 Grammy awards and won 6 of them. Yeah, that's Jerry on albums by Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau, Toto, Chicago, and Earth, Wind & Fire, among many others. When I was in high school, I read a lot of album credits (because I didn't have many dates but that's a story for another time), and noticed the same three names appeared with some frequency on many of the records I purchased: guitarist Steve Lukather, bassist Nathan East, and Jerry Hey. More on Hey from this 2016 interview.

The above band photo was taken from an article in DownBeat magazine (August 8, 1979) titled "The Second Generation of Fusion" that featured Seawind along with Spyro Gyra, Auracle, and Caldera. As you might imagine, the article's tone was passively condescending and dismissive. Screw 'em - I dig this stuff.

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LIGHT THE LIGHT (1979)
8 tracks, 37 minutes

Produced by Tommy LiPuma, this was the band's third album release and the only one on Horizon, a subsidiary imprint of A&M Records.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Seawind's first album for Horizon may be the label's best effort yet."
• Billboard: "aiming toward a more pop commercial idiom"
• Record World: "the debut for their new label is an auspicious one"
• DownBeat (★★½): "rhythm section is authoritative on funk yet durable on ballads"
• High Fidelity: "essentially derivative"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #143
• Billboard Jazz: #8
• CashBox: #127
• CashBox Jazz: #9
• Record World Jazz: #7

Tracks: The lead track, Hold On To Love, was released as a single and peaked at #70 on Billboard's R&B chart, but didn't see the Hot 100. The whole thing is very 'yachty' and all 8 tracks go down smooth. Reminds me more than a little of stuff from Crackin'. According to the seven pages of informative liner notes, the centerpiece of the album is the ballad Follow Your Road. The most jazz-oriented pieces are the instrumentals Morning Star and Enchanted Dance.

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SEAWIND (1980)
9 tracks, 39 minutes

Produced by George Duke, this was the band's only release on A&M and is pop-oriented compared to its predecessors. I'd compare it more to the sound of The Dude or Sergio Mendes. I wouldn't call this jazz by any means, but it did well on the jazz charts, so what do I know. And as much as I like Light The Light, I prefer this one.

Press of the time:

• Record World: "this group's heartbeat is in the rhythm section"
• Note: I find it odd that the group's first release on a major label got so little press coverage. And yet it turned out to be more successful. Go figure.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #83
• Billboard R&B: #20
• Billboard Jazz: #13
• CashBox: #101
• CashBox Jazz: #6
• Record World Jazz: #5

Tracks: Again, the first track on the album was released as a single. A great, funky track titled What'Cha Doin', it peaked at #18 R&B and #28 dance. The next track, The Two Of Us, was also released as a single and although deserving, it failed to chart. The rest is more of the same and that's a good thing. Only one instrumental this time around, Pra Vosé written by the band's guitarist Bub Nuanez, which sounds like a Brazilian tune from an Earl Klugh album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I sure wish someone had given a copy of that Seawind album to young Mark back in 1980.

John Pizzarelli - P.S. Mr. Cole (1999)

In 1994, Pizzarelli released a tribute album of versions of songs recorded by the legendary Nat "King" Cole. This is the follow-up to that tribute album and is more of the same. From the liner notes:

Sadly, the legendary Oak Room at The Algonquin closed in 2012.

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

Tracks: A guitar trio softly interpreting the Great American Songbook? Please and thank you.

My favorites are tracks 1, 4, 6, 11, 12, 15, & 16. The sole original tune - track 14, That's Nat - ain't bad, either. There's nothing to skip here, but if you want to stop after 17 tracks, I certainly understand.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Meets The Beatles (1998)

North Mississippi Allstars - Hill Country Revue (2004)

Recorded Live at Bonnaroo, Manchester, Tennessee, June 11, 2004.

Calling it a North Mississippi Allstars album is technically accurate, but it looks like half of northern Mississippi was invited along for the ride, turning this festival appearance into part family reunion, part history lesson, and part blues workout. Must have been a blast to watch. There's plenty of traditional hill country repetitive riffs and hypnotic grooves; there's even a fife & drum band appearance. The album is full of sweaty, raucous, rambling blues often reserved for humid front porches, it's just that this particular front porch was bigger than most.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Blues: #4

Tracks: A hypnotizing top-to-bottom listen. It doesn't even bother me much when things slow down a bit during introductions and audience interaction. The progression is like many concerts I've attended: good at the start, slight lull in the middle, then save the best for the end.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but my used copy has a price sticker from what I'm assuming was the original point of sale, Boogie Woogie CD in Sarasota, Florida.

The Smithereens - The Lost Album (2022)

I was an early fan of this group, but life happens and I somewhat lost interest after the release of A Date With The Smithereens. That 1994 album was a step down in quality to my ears so I figured the band was past their prime; I promptly sold my CD. Decades later, I see this Lost Album release advertised and I just can't help myself. I've tried and tried to like it but it just doesn't do it for me. I couldn't quite figure out why and then I actually read a bit about the album's origins.

This album was recorded in 1993, during the time between the Smithereens' contracts with Capitol and RCA. After the Blow Up album in 1991, the band went into the studio and financed new sessions themselves. Even without a contract, the band reportedly cut enough material for two albums. When The Smithereens signed with RCA, roughly half of that material was selected for the aforementioned A Date with The Smithereens. The rest simply sat in the vault until it was released in 2022 as The Lost Album. In the CD's liner notes, bassist Mike Mesaros describes the album as being only about 80% finished and rough mixed. Rather than trying to reconstruct it into some artificially polished 2022 production, the band mastered what they had.

So this album is a rough mix of songs that weren't good enough to be included on an album I didn't like. And there ya go. Still dig the earlier stuff, tho.

Pat DiNizio is in fine form vocally and I hear the occasional crunchy guitar riff but that 80% mentioned above is being mighty generous. What's lacking here is some punchy production work (it's easy to imagine what Don Dixon would have done with this) that includes the band's trademark overdubs to fill out the instrumental sound and choirs on the background vocals. It's not exactly leftover, unfinished filler tracks, but it's pretty close.

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

Tracks: It doesn't work as an album, but there are few tracks worth hearing here, including Out Of This World, Don't Look Down, Monkey Man, and Face The World With Pride. They're just not as good as they could have been.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

2011 (2011)	11 (1989)
Meet The Smithereens! (2007)	Green Thoughts (1988)
Blown To Smithereens (1995)	Especially For You (1986)
Blow Up (1991)

Haircut 100 - Boxing The Compass (2026)

We're getting the band back together. And it's about damn time. What we've got here is a comeback album that makes you wonder whether four decades really passed. Haircut 100’s first studio album with Nick Heyward at the helm since Pelican West arrives with the band’s trademark ingredients in place: jangly guitars, busy rhythms, prominent horns, nonsensical lyrics, and cheerful melodies with healthy dashes of both optimism and nostalgia. Heyward’s voice has held up well and the band still understands how to make sophisticated pop sound effortless.

The album is a wonderful blend of songs that sound like they could have been on Pelican West while others remind me more of Heyward's solo material. But it's all good stuff. Long story short: this album has gotten daily play since it arrived on my front porch back on July 13 (see below) and I hereby declare it Album of the Summer for 2026. Here's hoping there's more where this came from.

While I'm certainly not disappointed in the music, I do wish a little more thought had been put into the packaging. Pelican West had a wonderful, yellow pinstriped graphic design theme that was consistent and carried out throughout the album and singles packaging. That sort of effort is certainly lacking here as the digisleeve is fairly mundane and simplistic.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart. Heck, I'm unsure this was even officially released in the U.S.

Tracks that sound like old school Haircut 100:

• Vanishing Point
• Soul Bird
• Sunshine
• Someone
• Dynamite

Tracks that sound more like Nick Heyward solo:

• Come Back To Me
• Raincloud
• The Unloving Plum
• That's A Start
• A Wonderful Life

At least that's how I categorize them today. Tomorrow I might move them around a bit.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:

1. October 16, 2025: I see new LP is announced with a release date of March 20, 2026. Excitement abounds.
2. March 11, 2026: on this date, there was only one option for purchase in the US that didn't include ridiculous tariffs, so the CD was pre-ordered from that option, Rough Trade.
3. March 22: email received from Rough Trade apologizing for the delay in shipping, but they are "working hard" to get my order to me. I then noticed the album's release date has been pushed back to May 29.
4. March 26: email received from Rough Trade that my CD will be dispatched on March 28.
5. March 30: email received from Rough Trade that my CD will be dispatched on June 19. I then discover the album's release date has been pushed back to that date. Frustration grows.
6. June 21: email received from Rough Trade apologizing for the delay in shipping, but they are once again "working hard" to get my order to me. Over the following weeks, I slowly realize I will never hear from Rough Trade again.
7. July 9: finally fed up with Rough Trade, I cancel my order with them which somehow includes a restocking fee unless I want store credit instead of a refund. A restocking fee for a CD they never had in stock? Sheesh. And I certainly did NOT want store credit as I will never use that website again. A Boxing The Compass CD is promptly ordered from Amazon (which now doesn't charge the tariff, so I've got that going for me, which is nice).
8. July 10: Amazon delivers a vinyl LP of Boxing The Compass, return/replacement is immediately requested.
9. July 13: a compact disc of Boxing The Compass finally arrives here at blog headquarters.
   
   And scene.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Live At The IndigO₂ 28th Jan 2011 (2011)
The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1996)
The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
Paint and Paint (1984)
Pelican West (1982):

• 4 CD Celebration Edition (2023)
• 2 disc Deluxe Edition (2016)
• Pelican West Plus (1992)

Elmer Bernstein - True Grit Soundtrack (1969)

This is one of the few albums I remember listening to as a small child; I suspect we probably had the LP in our house because my mother had a crush on Glen Campbell. But as a 6 or 7 year old kid developing a hunger for music, I enjoyed it to the point I eventually picked up this CD copy purely for nostalgia's sake. And I'm not disappointed.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "lusty western-styled score"
• CashBox: "The music is rugged, melodic, and highly compelling"
• Record World: "Come Oscar time, this music will be way up front for award consideration"

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #77

Tracks: Glen Campbell had a role in this movie and sang the title song. It was a successful single, peaking at #35 pop, #9 country, and #7 easy listening on the Billboard charts. It was also nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Original Song, eventually losing to Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head. The title song is so good, in fact, it appears twice on the very brief, 26 minute album. Plus, its melody is used occasionally on some of the other tracks. There's not much country or western here, to be honest, unless they had B-3 organs, vibraphones, and drum kits roaming around Arkansas in the 1880s. Other than the title song, the whole thing is late '60s overblown, variety showish, cheesy pop crossover music and I love it. I find it catchy as hell and more melodic than it has any right to be. Plus, it brings a smile to my face. What more could I possibly ask for?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above

Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade (2002)

Valery Gergiev conducting the Kirov Orchestra.

I'll be honest: I bought this CD because 1) it was cheap in the clearance bin, 2) it's a SACD, and 3) I like Sheherazade (also spelled Scheherazade), so why not? Turns out to be a fantastic interpretation, made that much better by the SACD format. This is the fourth CD I own that contains Sheherazade, but this disc includes two new pieces to my shelves, In The Steppes Of Central Asia (Borodin, 1880) and Islamey (Balakirev, 1869). So we've got three of "The Five" represented here.

Recorded under live conditions but without an audience in St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, this Scheherazade is the most red-blooded, exciting account of Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral warhorse that I know, helped by full, immediate sound of a richness rare in Russian recordings.

excerpt from https://www.gramophone.co.uk/

I'll second that. I'm not an expect on SACD by any means, but I've noticed a distinct difference between "native" digital recordings and older recordings subsequently transferred to DSD. Also listening on quality headphones makes a difference. But back to the music itself...

Tracks: I think one of the reasons I'm drawn to Sheherazade is Rimsky-Korsikov's amazing orchestration. What a master. He should write a book on the subject (spoiler: he did).

I hadn't heard In The Steppes Of Central Asia in many years. When I was studying music back in the 1980's, the piece was commonly played at orchestra concerts (particularly as a concert opener) but seems to have fallen out of favor over the past few decades - as have orchestras, but that's beyond the scope of this meager blog. And don't get me started on the many symphony fiascos here in San Antonio over the past 6 years. Anyhoo, it's nice to hear Steppes again. It is a programmatic piece written in 1880 for an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the reign of Tsar Alexander II and dedicated to Franz Liszt. The composer himself provided the following program note:

In the silence of the monotonous steppes of Central Asia is heard the unfamiliar sound of a peaceful Russian song. From the distance we hear the approach of horses and camels and the bizarre and melancholy notes of an oriental melody. A caravan approaches, escorted by Russian soldiers, and continues safely on its way through the immense desert. It disappears slowly. The notes of the Russian and Asiatic melodies join in a common harmony, which dies away as the caravan disappears in the distance.

However, it is an enjoyable 8 minutes whether you know the program or not. Fascinating side note: Borodin was a chemist and physician who wrote a little music in his spare time.

Islamey is a new piece for me. Originally written for piano in 1869, it is quite difficult and known as a virtuosic showpiece. The symphonic version heard on this disc was transcribed/arranged by Sergei Lyapunov. We're treated to three brief sections: 1) Allegro agitato, very busy and intense, 2) Tranquillo – Andantino espressivo, a slower, more romantic section that introduces a new legato theme, and 3) Allegro vivo – Presto furioso, which returns to the main theme. An exciting listen but I imagine is even more fun to perform.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: For more on my initial adventures with SACD, check out this earlier Béla Bartók post.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Scheherazade/Capriccio Espagnol/Russian Easter Overture (1995 compilation)
Scheherazade (1994) Ernest Ansermet L'Orchestra De La Suisse Romande (Ansermet)
Scheherazade/Capriccio Espagnol (1984) Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Dutoit)