Wednesday 16 July 2008

A Person Called Gerald - Liberation / Groove Transfusion Mixtapes




192-320 VBR mp3
Cassette reconstruction from multiple sources

Reconstructed these two mixtapes from many sources, digital and analogue, ripped and downloaded. All I can tell you about the tapes is I picked them up in Camden Market on a September Sunday in 1992 while visiting London. The kiosk had dozens of different comps by him at 5 quid apiece but these were the only two I picked up. Cor! Looking back, it's easy to see now that this person was definitely a connoisseur of jazzdance and I kick myself for not picking up a few more back then. The selections are fantastic and there is nary a duff track to be found. Something else that can't be found is any info on this "Radio & Club DJ" named "A Person Called Gerald" or Jazz Liberation Productions, which is one of the reasons I chose to put this up.

So, keeping true to the title of the blog, I couldn't get anyone to cough up any info on this selector of refined taste. Yeah, it was over a decade-and-a-half ago and this was just some guy with a record collection in a stall years before the intertubes. My guess, considering the time and place would be "Jazzman" Gerald Short. But surely someone out there will one day wonder what ever happened to 'A Person Called Gerald' who DJ'd on the radio and in clubs and sold mixtapes at Camden Market then type it into Google. We'll be waiting here. We're patient. Lazy, too. Keeping true to the title of the blog, we don't take this all that seriously.


Groove Transfusion
---->SIDE 1<----
Blue Mitchell - Granite and Concrete
Gene Harris - Listen Here
Louie Bellson & Walfredo De Los Reyes - Sentido En Seis
(on Never Enough Rhodes' recent mix)
Michael Longo - Like A Thief In The Night
Groove Holmes - No Trouble On The Mountain

---->SIDE 2<----
Joe Bataan - Latin Strut
Clare Fischer - Descarga-Yema Ya (from Never Enough Rhodes' recent mix!)
Mongo Santamaria - Listen Here
João Donato - Almas-Irmas
Idris Muhammad - Loran's Dance
Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combo & Brass - Mr Clean (from MOJO CLUB #2)
Deodato - Super Strut


Liberation
---->SIDE 1<----
Quincy Jones - They Call Me Mr. Tibbs
The Propositions - Africana
Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers - Chitterlings Con Carne
Boogaloo Joe Jones - Sweetback (from Vincent the Soul Chef mix)
One G Plus Three - Summertime (snipped from If It Rotates..)
Asha Puthli - Right Down Here
Weldon Irvine - Homey

---->SIDE 2<----
Daniel Salinas - Straussmania
The Spirit of Atlanta - Messin' Around
Archie Shepp - Blues for Brother George Jackson
Horace Silver - I've Had a LIttle Talk
Grant Green - I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing
The Meters - Ease Back



With these two tapes in hand, my jazz digging began in earnest. Once I found the first few LPs, I followed the threads through labels, liner notes, players and producers - still doing it today! I've tried my best to pass the torch by supplying loads o' links so you can conduct your own investimigations and hopefully expand your musical horizons. Follow the arrows---> for links to the files. I hope you enjoy this cookin' slice of Acid Jazz history half as much as I have for these last 15 years.

17 comments:

Rhodesway said...

Hi, Brother! Very very nice your blog! I link you too!!
Many Thanks! Best Reggards and a Big Hugs!

cheeba said...

Thanks! I know I will be visiting your blog often!

J Thyme...kind said...

Guess he didn't want people to confused him with A Guy Called Gerald...I'm confused? Ha, ha.

Economiewurm said...

You were absolutely right. Excellent compilations!

Thanx.

cheeba said...

J, I think that's what happened. When I saw them in '92 I was confused as well... I was like "this is what the Voodoo Ray" guy spins in clubs? But A Guy Called Gerald was from the North and I soon figured out it wasn't the same cat - but had no idea who this really was.

cheeba said...

Glad to hear you like them, Jur! A lot of the original LPs these were taken from are floating around at Ile Oxumare, My Jazz World, Never Enough Rhodes and other spots.

Economiewurm said...

I had heard a few songs before from LP's at other spots. But most of the songs are new to me, and are now safely stored in my Ipod. What a treasure.

If you ever consider to do a compilation of your own, I'll be the first to download it!

cheeba said...

Gianni, my pleasure as always! I appreciate you taking the time to say "thanks" on all these posts. It's nice to know that folks are enjoying this stuff.

Gianni aka Cesare Barbetta said...

gentile cheeba,
mi scuso per l'essermi permesso di lasciarle uno stupido e banale ringraziamento.
avrei dovuto scriverle messaggi più lunghi e profondi, in risonanza con la sua ottima collezione sonora.
ma ho purtroppo seri problemi con la lingua anglosassone.
mi scuso nuovamente per la mia banalità e la ringrazio calorasamente per l'ottimo blog musicale.
chapeau.

cheeba said...

molto grazie gianni! mio italioano non e buono, ma commento in italiano benvenuto! tutto bene!

Anonymous said...

Hi from France i discover your blog since 2 days and i'm amazed how many great tunes i listen in these last 48 hours.

Eric

cheeba said...

Bienvenue, Eric et merci pour votre commentaire!

Unknown said...

Ha. found this blog after wondering 'who was that Gerald guy that did the tapes?' and doing a google search. No info yet? The tapes are really good, I've got a few. Keep up the great work.

cheeba said...

Hey Ookey, still not sure who it was but circustantial evidence still leads to Gerald from Jazzman Records. I wish I'd bought more than two that day in Camden b/c they were ALL solid. Thanks for the encouragement too!

blackclassical said...

Thanks for the heads up cheeba totally missed this mind you missed tons... Just dont seem to have much time for anything these days :(

looking at the tuneage it all seems too well known now but damn back in the day, they would have been worth a fiver for sure!

Good to see horace silver's had a little talk on there from USM Phase ii -- thats maybe my fave silver lp ever!

Infact i was asked to pick one track for a radip comp the other week and i picked that... Andy bay must have been thinking about jackin in the class a's eh!!!!


Ill have a nostaligic trip back tonight with a few sherberts, you know for old times sake!

cheeba said...

Yeah Greg, most of these were definitely not so familiar back then. Between the two, I had the Grant Green, Meters, Idris & Deodato already (had started my CTI journey a couple years prior) but the rest pointed me in the direction I've been going since - especially my love affair with Blue Mitchell.

Gerald had dozens and these were the 2 I picked at random. I woulda went back but the next day we were up to Newcastle!

As for the Horace, I'd only heard the regular stuff (Song For My Father, etc) and took years to track down Phase II back then. Ah the old days when digging was deadly serious bizness and any info on these old sides was like manna from heaven.

I propose a toast to you, Gerald and nostalgia for this eve: may your sherbert remain forever free of flies!

troods said...

As always, kisses and thank yous for all your hard work and generosity.