Kenny Dorham - Four Classic Albums (Second Set) (2018)

UK Import

2018 compilation of four albums by trumpeter Kenny Dorham; another quality compilation from the British Avid label. Albums have been remastered and the original liner notes are included. I went looking for the Afro-Cuban album, but when I saw it was included in this compilation of 4 albums for only $12.33, I jumped at it. Three of the four albums were released on the Blue Note label; Jazz Contrasts was released on Riverside. Turns out Dorham is a Texas native and, according to critic Will Friedwald, an “eternally underrated bebop trumpet icon.” All things considered, this set was quite a pleasant discovery.

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AFRO-CUBAN (1957)
7 tracks, 35 minutes

The first four tracks were originally released in 1955 on the 10" Blue Note Modern Jazz Series, shortly before the label discontinued the format. In 1957, it was reissued on LP with additional tracks and new cover art. The latter incarnation is what is represented on this CD. And what a fun CD it is - quality solos from familiar names over "new" Latin grooves fused with the swinging hard bop of the '50s. Sort of taking over where Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo left off.

1957 liner notes written by Leonard Feather.

Dorham - trumpet
Hank Mobley - tenor sax
Cecil Payne - baritone sax
Horace Silver - piano
Art Blakey - drums
Jay Jay Johnson - trombone (tracks 1-4)
Carlos "Patato" Valdes - congas (tracks 1-4)
Oscar Pettiford - bass (tracks 1-4)
Percy Heath - bass (tracks 5-7)

Reviews/ratings:

• Downbeat (1955) (★★★★): "Kenny has rarely sounded as consistently at inventive ease as on this set."
• Billboard (1955) (71 out of 100): "an often exciting brand of jazz"
• CashBox (1957): "Striking jazz performances"
  
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

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

Tracks: Of the first 4 tracks, my top picks are Afrodisia and Minor's Holiday. The later-added tracks 5-7 aren't Afro-Cuban, but still enjoyable, particularly K.D.'s Motion.

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'ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT AT THE CAFÉ BOHEMIA (1956)
6 tracks, 44 minutes

Recorded on Thursday, May 31, 1956 at the Café Bohemia in Greenwich Village, New York City.

Dorham's melodic soloing is featured throughout this tight live session which contains a nice blend of originals and standards. Plus, the recording provides furthur evidence as to why Kenny burrell is one of my favorite guitarists. Judging by the crowd noise, Cafe Bohemia was quite an intimate setting and man-oh-man would I love to have been there that night.

Blue Note will soon release a 2 CD edition of this album which includes 17 tracks: The Complete 'Round About Midnight At The Cafe Bohemia. And yes, of course I'm considering a purchase.

Original 1956 liner notes written by Leonard Feather.

Dorham - trumpet
J.R. Monterose - tenor sax
Bobby Timmons - piano
Kenny Burrell - guitar
Sam Jones - bass
Arthur Edgehill - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Downbeat (★★★★): "well constructed, building, personal, emotional, rhythmically secure and of an absorbing consistency of invention at all tempos and moods."
• Billboard (77 out of 100): "there are moments enough of excitement to warrant great interest"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★

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

Tracks: The standards mentioned above are A Night In Tunisia, Autumn In New York, and the title track, which the group handles with a sort of informal sophistication if that makes any sense. The other three are all Dorham originals. All are good, but Mexico City is the star.

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JAZZ CONTRASTS (1957)
6 tracks, 41 minutes

Sonny Rollins is a nice get as a guest artist plus there's a harp providing a novel timbre on a few tracks. Dorham sounds fantastic, Rollins is Rollins, the rhythm section is great, and everything swings.

Original liner notes written by album producer Orrin Keepnews.

Dorham - trumpet
Sonny Rollins - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-2, 4, 6)
Hank Jones - piano
Betty Glamman - harp (tracks 3-5)
Oscar Pettiford - bass
Max Roach - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★★): "This record may not shock anyone, but it is a delightfully listenable, productive representation of jazz on a professional level."
• Billboard (Special Merit Jazz Album): "Package sells itself on the collective and individual excellence of all participants."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed., 2008): ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★

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

Tracks: 3 ballads, 3 up-tempo, no originals. My top cuts are the standards Falling In Love With Love (Hart, Rodgers), I'll Remember April (de Paul, Johnston, Raye), and My Old Flame (Coslow, Johnston).

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WHISTLE STOP (1961)
7 tracks, 39 minutes

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna sit back and enjoy this one while I send you over to the Blue Note website for the hyperbolic lowdown on this release: Doing The Philly Twist: Kenny Dorham's Whistle Stop.

Original 1961 liner notes written by Ira Gitler.

Dorham - trumpet
Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone
Kenny Drew - piano
Paul Chambers - bass
Philly Joe Jones - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★½): "the solos do not live up to the ensembles"
• CashBox: "a neatly tied-up jazz package of tremendous strength."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★★

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

Tracks: 7 Dorham originals. Today, I'm liking Philly Twist, Whistle Stop, and Windmill.

Lee Morgan - Four Classic Albums: Second Set (2019)

UK Import

2019 compilation of four albums by Lee Morgan from the late 1950s. Another quality compilation from the British Avid label, who take full advantage of the length of copyright laws in Europe (50 years) and, might I add, make classic jazz releases quite affordable: I paid $11.98, new, for this 2 disc set. Albums have been remastered and the original liner notes are included. Morgan was such a fantastic trumpet player. The whole set is highly enjoyable.

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CANDY (1958)
6 tracks, 37 minutes

Previously appeared on The CD Project.

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CITY LIGHTS (1958)
5 tracks, 38 minutes

Original liner notes written by Leonard Feather.

Morgan - trumpet
George Coleman - tenor & alto saxophones
Curtis Fuller - trombone
Ray Bryant - piano
Paul Chambers - bass
Art Taylor - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★★): "a lot of rewarding listening here"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Tracks: Five tracks, none written by members of the band. Three of the tunes were written by Benny Golson, plus one each from Johnny Green and Gigi Grice. Fuller really brings the goods throughout and really pushes Morgan - it's a joy to hear the playful battles here. Things get a little sloppy in Just By Myself. My top picks are the title cut and You're Mine You.

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LEE MORGAN - INDEED! (1957)
6 tracks, 41 minutes

Morgan's debut album as a leader, but plays like a seasoned pro. These four albums were recorded when Morgan was 18 & 19 years old and you'd never know it - such a mature sound.

Original liner notes written by Leonard Feather.

Morgan - trumpet
Clarence Sharpe - alto saxophone
Horace Silver - piano
Wilbur Ware - bass
"Philly" Joe Jones - drums

Rating:

• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Tracks: 6 tracks: 1 from pianist Silver, 1 from Donald Byrd, and 2 each from Owen Marshall (a name previously unknown to me) and the aforementioned Benny Golson. The highlights of this debut are the two middle tracks, The Lady and Little T.

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THE COOKER (1958)
5 tracks, 39 minutes

Morgan's fifth release for Blue Note and the first to feature some of his own compositions.

Original liner notes written by Robert Levin.

Morgan - trumpet
Pepper Adams - alto saxophone
Bobby Timmons - piano
Paul Chambers - bass
"Philly" Joe Jones - drums

Ratings:

• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Tracks: In addition to two of Morgan's compositions - titled Heavy Dipper and New-Ma - there are versions of Lover Man, Cole Porter's Just One Of Those Things, and Dizzy Gillespie's A Night In Tunisia, the latter two in which Morgan burns through the tunes in dazzling display of technique. The Cooker, indeed.

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Previously revisited for the blog:
Candy (1958)

Grant Green - Four Classic Albums (2012)

UK Import

2012 compilation of four albums by guitarist Grant Green, recorded in 1961-62, just as Green was coming on the scene. Another quality compilation from the British Avid label, who take full advantage of the length of copyright laws in Europe (50 years) and, might I add, make classic jazz releases quite affordable: I paid $11.98, new, for this 2 disc set.  Albums have been remastered and the original liner notes are included. Each disc pushes 80 minutes in length and the time just seems to fly by. Highly enjoyable.

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SUNDAY MORNIN' (1962)
6 tracks, 42 minutes

Don't be confused by the title, this isn't religious or gospel music (that would come later with the Feelin' The Spirit album). There is, however, a track titled Sunday Morning and my best guess would be that both are named for the fact that the album was recorded on Sunday, June 4, 1961. Laid back modal jazz with soulful, swinging grooves. Or, as the ad below notes, "all six selections in this LP contain striking evidence of Green's stature in the vanguard of the new wave of jazz guitarists."

Original 1962 liner notes written by Joe Goldberg, noted jazz author.

Green - guitar
Kenny Drew - piano
Ben Tucker - bass
Ben Dixon - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard (★★★★): "Good solid jazz here"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

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

Tracks: Of the six tracks here, 3 are Green originals (Freedom March, the title track, Come Sunrise), a movie theme (Exodus), and two standards (God Bless The Child & So What). The only track that falls flat is Exodus.

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GRANTSTAND (1962)
4 tracks, 38 minutes

For this recording session, Green added a horn player to the organ trio with mixed results. I'm not referring to the playing, which is great, but at times the sound gets a little muddled with the addition. But overall, a fine representation of Green's soulful, blues-inflected guitar style from the early '60s.

Original 1962 liner notes written by Nat Hentoff.

Green - guitar
Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute
Brother Jack McDuff - organ
Al Harewood - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed., 2008): ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★

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

Tracks: Of the four tracks, two were written by Green. Both of those, the title cut and the multifaceted Blues in Maude's Flat, are quite good. I've never cared much for My Funny Valentine and even the fine performance here can't change my mind about it. Things wrap up with a brief, horn-free, tasteful take on Old Folks.

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GRANT'S FIRST STAND (1961)
6 tracks, 41 minutes

As the title implies, this is Green's debut album as a leader. Green's clean tone is the highlight of this organ trio soul-jazz outing.

Original 1961 liner notes written by Robert Levin, writer of liner notes for over 100 Blue Note albums.

Green - guitar
Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette - organ
Ben Dixon - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★): "Green apparently has a good deal of potential"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed., 2008): ★★½

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

Tracks: The opening track, a Green original titled Miss Ann's Tempo, swings hard - what an introduction! And then most of the remaining tracks live up to that intro, particularly Blues For Willarene. The weakest cut is the plodding 'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do.

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REACHING OUT (1961)
6 tracks, 41 minutes

A mix of bluesy soul jazz on some tracks to straight ahead, swinging hard bop on others. Originally released as Reaching Out by The Dave Bailey Quintet on the Jazztone label in 1961 and reissued with altered sequencing under the title Green Blues by Grant Green in 1973 on the Muse label. Since he wasn't the leader on this session, there's no originals from Green on this one. And since it wasn't released on Blue Note, it has a distinctively different sound to it. Not bad, just different. The DownBeat reviewer (below) notes the out-of-tune piano used for the date; it's quite a distraction at times. It's Bailey's album and Frank Haynes takes the lead on tenor, but Green and bassist Ben Tucker steal the show.

Original 1961 liner notes written by Bailey and 1973 reissue liner notes by Mark Gardner.

Green - guitar
Frank Haynes - tenor saxophone
Billy Gardner - piano
Ben Tucker - bass
Dave Bailey - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★½): "This collection has several things to recommend it, not the least of which is the work of Green"

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

Tracks: Of the six tracks on this album, today I'm digging the title cut, One For Elena, and Falling In Love With Love.

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Previously revisited for the blog:
Talkin' About (1965)
Green Street (1961)

Ramsey Lewis - Funky Serenity/Golden Hits (1973)/Solar Wind/Sun Goddess (1974)

UK Import

2018 compilation of four albums by Ramsey Lewis. I bought the set because, at the time, it was the cheapest way to get Sun Goddess on CD. Plus bonus Ramsey can't be a bad thing, right? Well...the other three albums turn out to be hit-or-miss, but, overall, not a terrible way to spend $20.

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FUNKY SERENITY (1973)
9 tracks, 46 minutes

Not all the Top 40 covers are winners, but that's balanced by some funky originals. The trio (Cleveland Eaton - bass, Morris Jennings - drums) is joined by violinist Ed Green on a couple of tracks.

Reviews/ratings:

• Downbeat (★★★★★): "enough to commercially and artistically satisfy everyone."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #117
• Billboard Jazz: #4
• Record World Jazz: #6

Tracks: The best covers are Betcha By Golly Wow! and Where Is The Love. The aforementioned funky originals are Kufanya Mapenzi (Making Love), What it Is!, and the laid-back Serene Funk. For a little variety, there's a tasty mid-tempo original from Green titled My Love For You. I avoid track 7, Dreams, and the cover of Nights In White Satin.

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GOLDEN HITS (1973)
9 tracks, 35 minutes

Full title: Ramsey Lewis' Newly Recorded All-Time Non-Stop Golden Hits

After he moved to Columbia Records in 1972, Ramsey and the rest of his trio made this album of 'modernized' remakes of Lewis' earlier, successful recordings on the Argo and Cadet labels. It's good, not great, but probably should have sold better than it did. However, the cover with small print of the full title make the release look like a greatest hits package instead of a new album re-imagined versions. Heck, even Allmusic mistakenly called it a "budget sampler of pop cuts."

Reviews/ratings:

• Downbeat (★★★★): "It isn't as 'non-stop' as proclaimed, nor all that 'golden' - but the verve is the same, rocking on."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #198
• Billboard Jazz: #32
• Billboard R&B: #50
• Record World Jazz: #25

Tracks:

Song	Original Lewis version appeared on
Hang On Sloopy	Hang On Ramsey! (1965)
Blues For The Night Owl	More Music From The Soil (1961)
Hi-Heel Sneakers	1966 single
Carmen	Ramsey Lewis And His Gentle-men Of Swing (1956)
(Song Of) Delilah	Ramsey Lewis And His Gentle-men Of Jazz (1958)
Wade In The Water	Wade In The Water (1966)
Slipping Into Darkness	Upendo Ni Pamoja (1972)
Something You Got	The Ramsey Lewis Trio At The Bohemian Caverns (1964)
The "In" Crowd	The In Crowd (1965)

The better cuts are the clavinet-heavy remake of Hang On Sloopy (winner of the Grammy award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance) as well as (Song Of) Delilah, Slipping Into Darkness, and The "In" Crowd. 

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SOLAR WIND (1974)
9 tracks, 44 minutes

Lewis expands the instrumentation a bit, even bringing in legendary STAX guitarist Steve Cropper to write and produce three of the nine tracks. Other cuts come from Elton John, Seals & Crofts, Paul Simon, and Sonny Rollins.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "Lewis' distinctive blend of melodic jazz ideas with insistent rhythmic funk has survived the transition to electric piano beautifully"
• Downbeat (★★★½): "continues to tread lightly on those delicate lines separating pop, r&b and jazz."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #29
• Record World Jazz: #20

Tracks: My picks for original cuts are Sweet And Tender and Jamaican Marketplace, while my picks for covers are The Everywhere Calypso and Summer Breeze. 

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SUN GODDESS (1974)
7 tracks, 37 minutes

You wouldn't know it based on the critics' ratings below, but they saved the best for last. One of Ramsey's biggest albums and one that would change the trajectory of his career for least the next decade. Lewis reunited with his former drummer Maurice White, who contacted Lewis about a song he had written. White brought the song to Chicago along with half of his new band, Earth Wind & Fire, and they cut Hot Dawgit (track 14 on this CD) in three days then wrote the title track, Sun Goddess. Add in a Stevie Wonder cover and four Lewis originals plus production from Teo Macero and the result is irresistible.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "one very listenable record"
• Downbeat (★★½): "This is best judged as slick background music, a kind of hip Muzak."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #12
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #1
• CashBox: #13
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: It's easy to call Sun Goddess (#44 pop, #20 R&B, #5 dance) and Hot Dawgit (#50 pop, #61 R&B) the stand-out cuts, but then you'd be missing out on the driving cover of Living In The City, and some fantastic original works from Lewis: Love Song and the funky Tambura.

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Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Fantasy (1985)
Tequila Mockingbird (1977)
Hang On Ramsey! (1965)/Wade In The Water (1966)

Lou Donaldson - Blues Walk (1958)/Gravy Train (1962)/Lou Takes Off (1958)/Here 'Tis (1961)

UK Import

2017 compilation of four albums by saxophonist "Sweet Poppa Lou" Donaldson. All 4 albums recorded by Rudy Van Gelder for the Blue Note label in the late '50s/early '60s. I was previously unfamiliar with the British Avid label, but it appears they (quite understandably) took full advantage of the length of copyright laws in Europe (50 years). However, this package isn't a shoddy production. Albums have been remastered and the original liner notes are included. When I grab this set, I normally pick just one of the two CDs to spin. The disc I choose varies, but at 75+ minutes per disc, the length is usually perfect for me.

In 2013, Donaldson was honored as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts and has been inducted into the The International Jazz Hall Of Fame.

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BLUES WALK (1958)
6 tracks, 34 minutes

An album during Donaldson's transition from hard bop to R&B/soul-jazz, so there's a variety of tracks to be found here, from the bebop of Move to the bluesy title track.

Original 1958 liner notes written by Ira Gitler, jazz historian and journalist.

Donaldson - alto sax
Herman Foster - piano
John "Peck" Morrison - bass
Dave Bailey - drums
Ray Barretto - congas

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard (★★★): "Good solid jazz here"
• CashBox: "Sturdy jazz performances"
• DownBeat (★★★): "In some respects, this is the most interesting Donaldson recital I have heard"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000) (★★½): the material is rather dull"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

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

Tracks: It's a great listen from top-to-bottom, but of the six offerings here, my top picks are the standards The Masquerade is Over (written 1939), and Autumn Nocturne (written 1941), plus the title track, a Donaldson original.

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GRAVY TRAIN (1962)
7 tracks, 44 minutes

A more commercial effort in which Donaldson and crew cover a number of popular tunes from the '30s and '40s with varying degrees of success. An enjoyable album, nevertheless.

Original 1962 liner notes written by Joe Goldberg, noted jazz author.

Donaldson - alto sax
Herman Foster - piano
Ben Tucker - bass
Dave Bailey - drums
Alec Dorsey - congas

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "swings away with carefree abandon"
• CashBox: "Donaldson has developed a free-flowing style in the modern mainstream that is all his own"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed., 2008): ★★★

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

Tracks: The more successful cuts here are the ballad Polka Dots And Moonbeams and the two groovin' originals, Twist Time and the title track. Less successful are South Of The Border and Avalon.

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LOU TAKES OFF (1958)
4 tracks, 39 minutes

This album records Donaldson in his hard bop days, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker. Notable for the inclusion of two extra horn players, Donald Byrd and Curtis Fuller. An aptly titled album, this music swings and it swings hard.

Original 1958 liner notes written by Robert Levin, writer of liner notes for over 100 Blue Note albums.

Donaldson - alto sax
Donald Byrd - trumpet
Curtis Fuller - trombone
Sonny Clark - piano
George Joyner - bass
Art Taylor - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• High Fidelity: "Some furious and, considering the tempos, surprisingly coherent playing by a group that shows moments of hotheaded genius"
• DownBeat (★★★★): "A very good blowing set by the Young Turks of New York"
• Billboard (★★): "a hard-driving set"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

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

Tracks: Four cuts here, including two originals by Donaldson: the breakneck opener, Sputnik, plus the bluesy Strollin' In. Also covers of bop tunes by Charlie Parker (Dewey Square) and Dizzy Gillespie (Groovin' High). The best bets are Dewey Square and Strollin' In.

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HERE 'TIS (1961)
5 tracks, 39 minutes

Maybe my favorite of the four albums in this set, probably because of the use of drawbar organ and the wonderful playing of Grant Green - a great choice of instrumentation and it pays off. The ad below claims this is "a Groovy Album" and I am here to confirm that assertion.

Original 1961 liner notes written by Levin.

Donaldson - alto sax
Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette - organ
Grant Green - guitar
Dave Bailey - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Stereo Review: "jazz of a spontaneous but fairly routine level"
• CashBox: "the group shows itself to be a superior blending of musical talents"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

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

Tracks: Five swingin' soul-jazz cuts including three Donaldson originals. We're treated to a cover of the Gershwins' A Foggy Day plus four 12-bar blues tunes. All recommended.

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Rodney Franklin - Learning To Love (1982)/Marathon (1984)/Skydance (1985)/It Takes Two (1986)

UK Import

2019 two disc set from Cherry Red Records featuring the jazz/R&B pianist's fifth through eighth studio albums (1982-86). I prefer his earlier albums, but that doesn't mean there's not good stuff here to enjoy. To this listener, disc two is better than disc one.

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LEARNING TO LOVE (1982)
8 tracks, 43 minutes

By this point in his career, Franklin had fully opted to move away from a smooth jazz sound to pop/R&B tunes. Produced by Stanley Clarke, this (not surprisingly) sounds a lot like a Clarke solo album at times. Other recognizable names include Nathan East, Michael Sembello, Abraham Laboriel, Tom Scott, Alex Acuna, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, and Alphonse Mouzon.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "power and sophistication"
• CashBox: "synth-saturated fusion, soulful ballads, scorching bod-shakers and fast-paced funk"
• Stereo Review: "quality pop-soul fare with just enough of a jazz flavor to make it sound sophisticated"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #190
• Billboard Jazz: #9
• Billboard R&B: #45
• CashBox Jazz: #6

Tracks: Enuff is Enuff (#68 R&B) is a pleasant enough shuffle and the theme to the 1982 movie, "One Down, Two to Go." Clarke even breaks out the talkbox and a piccolo bass solo on that one. Tom Scott steals the show on a couple of tracks here: That's The Way I Feel 'Bout Your Love (#64 R&B) and the cover of the Christopher Cross hit, Sailing. The only track that approaches fusion is track 6, a nine minute medley of sorts titled Genesis/New Day/Nature's Way/Early Morning/Let There Be Light which offers a fantastic drum solo from Mouzon.

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MARATHON (1984)
7 tracks, 36 minutes

Definitely '80s pop that is of its time. Clarke on the boards again, calling on friends such as Ronnie Laws, Gerald Albright, and enough synth drums to last a good while.

Billboard, February 4, 1984, p. 53

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #187
• Billboard Jazz: #15
• Billboard R&B: #54
• CashBox Jazz: #7

Tracks: The single was Stay On In The Groove, which peaked at #72 on the R&B charts. The above Billboard blurb mentions Let's Talk and that's a fun little funk piece, mainly because of Gary Calvin's bass line. Speaking of bass lines, the hard-workin' Louis Johnson (of The Brothers Johnson) is the star of Searchin' For - enough so that I stopped what I was doing and looked up the credits once that track started. Clarke doesn't play as much on this album as one might guess. But, all things considered, my preferred tracks here are Lumière (Franklin's solo shines) and the ballads, Love Is The Answer (with vocals from Darryl Coley and Lynn Davis and a soprano solo from Laws) and the New-Age-ish Reflection Of A Dream, the latter of which is simply Franklin at a Steinway piano.

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SKYDANCE (1985)
6 tracks, 41 minutes

Not as many synths on this one, which is surprising for a 1985 release. Produced by orchestral arranger Paul Buckmaster instead of Clarke. Not as many big name guests, either, meaning the focus is on Franklin's playing, as it should be. Things settle down and relax; this is the strongest album in this 2 CD set.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "Franklin seems to have found his groove"
• Billboard: "Pleasant if predictable"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #31
• CashBox Jazz: #6

Tracks: All are enjoyable, but my top picks come from what was side one: Song For You, Destiny, and Fiesta. Although Fiesta saw a limited release as a promo single, there wasn't a hit single to drive album sales, unfortunately.

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IT TAKES TWO (1986)
8 tracks, 35 minutes

And we're back to the familiar sound of the mid-'80s with lots of programming and synthdrums. Franklin takes over production duties alongside French composer/arranger/conductor Michel Colombier, but only writes 3 of the 8 cuts here. Not much jazz to be found, but there's some tasty, if a bit preachy, poppish R&B with occasional contributions from Gerald Albright.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "likely the best album Franklin has recorded to date"
• Billboard: "stylish fusion"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #34
• CashBox Jazz: #14

Tracks: The lead track was written by Colombier and Jeff Lorber and is high-energy and features dazzling work from Franklin. The released single was Look What's Showing Through, written by Eddie Schwartz (most famously known for writing Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot). Even with vocals from the incomparable Brenda Russell, that single only reached #59 on the R&B chart. Also good are The Eagle And The Condor and the final cut, Let There Be Peace, which is a beautiful solo piano piece. Also included is a completely unnecessary cover of Mr. Mister's Broken Wings.