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Vinyl rip & scans from Groove Merchant GM-3311
Jimmy McGriff - Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, Synthesizer
Joe Thomas - Saxophone [Tenor], Flute
Cornell Dupree – Guitar
Lance Quinn – Guitar
Jerry Friedman – Guitar
Bob Babbitt – Bass
Jimmy Maelen – Percussion
Rick Marotta – Drums
Jerry Marotta – Drums
Pat Rebillot – Keyboards
Carlos Martin – Congas
Lew Delgatto - Saxophone [Baritone]
Alan Rubin – Trumpet
John Frosk – Trumpet
Tom Malone – Trombone
Viola - Julien Barber, Richard Maximoff
Violin - Alvin Rogers, Fred Buldrini, Harold Kohan, John Pintaville, Leo Kahn, Norman Carr, Rick Santhomme, Tony Posk
Cello - Jesse Levy, Richard Locker
Producer - Sonny Lester
1 It Feels So Nice (Do It Again)
2 The Mean Machine
3 Please Don't Take Me Out
4 Get Back
5 Overweight Shark Bait
6 Pogo's Stick
Doug Payne's review:
Between 1976 and 1979, Jimmy McGriff was often featured in the disco-style productions of Groove Merchant house arranger Brad Baker. The records usually surrounded the great organist with a huge army of studio musicians, big horn sections, string parts and often heard McGriff playing keyboards other than organ. THE MEAN MACHINE, from 1976, was the first of these productions and McGriff doesn't even play organ here. The six tunes, none by McGriff, make for a kind of anonymous, but better than average funky dance music typical for the time. When Baker's horn or string charts aren't carrying the melodies, reedman Joe Thomas does a good job filling in on tenor sax or flute. McGriff never really sounds distinctive - or out front - on the Fender Rhodes, synthesizer or clavinets he plays here. But if this kind of music is your bag, it's really quite well done (sample the dancefloor hit "It Feels So Nice" to hear). Four of the six tracks here were included on the 1994 RED BEANS CD. Another, "Pogo's Stick" (perhaps McGriff's best feature here) is also on the DIG ON IT McGriff CD compilation.
AMG Review by Jason Ankeny
Ironically enough, The Mean Machine captures Jimmy McGriff at his sweetest--employing electric piano as much as his signature organ, its grooves are disappointingly tepid, favoring a CTI-inspired smooth jazz approach at odds with McGriff's essential funkiness. Brad Baker's lush arrangements are largely to blame here, evoking the sound but not the kinetic energy of blaxploitation cinema--Joe Thomas' lighter-than-air flute solos further smooth out the music's rougher edges. Worst of all, McGriff seems disengaged, doing little above and beyond going through the motions--of course, with material as corny as titles like "Pogo's Stick" and "Overweight Shark Bait" portend, it's tough to criticize him for checking out.
Classic snob review of a 70s jazzfunk LP. If you ask me, this is the strongest of Jimmy's "disco" albums (i.e., string arrangements by Brad Baker, no B-3 and more funk than blues or jazz), mostly due to the assistance of Joe Thomas and Cornell Dupree.
Brad Baker was the house arranger/conductor for Groove Merchant and LRC, so his name is attached to most of the output from those labels in the mid to late 70s. Notable efforts he helmed during the period were Reuben Wilson's Got To Get Your Own, O' Donel Levy's Windows and Jimmy Ponder's All Things Are Beautiful (thank heavens for My Jazz World!). His only "solo" LP under the moniker B. Baker Chocolate Co. featured McGriff, Lonnie Smith, Jimmy Ponder and Groove Merchant regulars Pat Rebillot, Lew Delgatto, Jimmy Maelen and ex-Funk Brother Bob Babbitt.
Cornell Dupree should need no introduction as he's been credited on over 2,500 sessions since starting with King Curtis in the early 60s. Even if you don't know who he is, you've heard him more than you would think. In fact, some of your favourite licks likely came from him whether you know it or not.
Joe Thomas was an under-appreciated horn and flute player. He definitely brought the funk during the 70s and I highly recommend looking into his solo discography if you haven't already done so (all courtesy of 4 Brothers Beats unless otherwise noted):
1970 Comin' Home1972 Is The Ebony Godfather 1974 Moog Fluting
1974 Joy Of Cookin'
1975 Masada (arranged by B Baker)
1976 Feelin's From Within (arranged by B Baker)1977 Here I Come 1978 Get In The Wind at My Jazz World
1979 Make Your Move (arranged by B Baker)1980 Flash (couldn't find anywhere in blogopolis but just went for $1.99 on eBay last week)
Apparently this was reissued in the past few weeks on Pid and AMG shows it as being released last year by LRC but it doesn't seem to be available at most of the regular outlets. Until you're able to get your hands on a hard copy you can get it from Soundological HERE or HERE.
Tomorrow we'll be following up this post with Red Beans, so hang tight. While you're waiting, here's a look at J. McG's Groove Merchant / LRC output from the 70s:
1971 Good Things Don't Happen Every Day at My Favourite Sound
1971 Groove Grease at Album Base & Oufar Khan
1972 Let's Stay Together at BeeQ
1972 Fly Dude at headfonehaus
1972 Friday the 13th: Cook County Jail (live)
1972 Flyin' Time (2LP combines Fly Dude and Let's Stay Together) at My Favourite Sound
1973 Giants of the Organ Come Together
1973 If You're Ready, Come Go With Me at My Favourite Sound
1973 Giants of the Organ in Concert (live) at I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby
1973 Supa Cookin' (2 LPs combine both "Giants" titles) at My Favourite Sound
1974 Main Squeeze at My Favourite Sound
1975 Stump Juice at Roots For Everyone
1976 The Mean Machine at Soundological
1976 Red Beans at Soundological
1977 Tailgunner at My Jazz World
1978 Outside Looking In at My Jazz World
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Vinyl rip & scans from Crystal Clear Records CCS 8003
The previous 12" 45rpm jazz piece posted here enjoyed a warm reception so I thought I'd put up another for my peeps, especially Simon. I figure a rare Cal Tjader side with Clare Fischer on electric piano would be up his alley if he didn't already have it! It's also a small token of appreciation for both his support of Soundological and his efforts keeping the flame burning at Never Enough Rhodes. For more Cal Tjader be sure to check the links scattered throughout the post.
Vibraphone - Cal TjaderTimbales - Willie Bobo
Electric Piano - Clare Fischer
Bass - Rob Fisher
Alto Sax, Flute - Gary Foster
Trumpet - Ronald King
Baritone Sax - Kurt McGettrick
Bongos, Cowbell - Victor Pantoja
Trumpet - Alex Rodriguez
Trombone - Frank Rosolino
Congas - Pancho Sanchez
Guitar - Rick Zunigar
1 Funquiado
2 Tres Palabras
3 Ritmo Caliente
4 Huracán
AMG Review by Ken Dryden
Originally issued as a limited-edition direct-to-disc LP by the long defunct Crystal Clear label in the late '70s, this budget reissue of Cal Tjader's Huracán does not list any of the musicians heard with the vibraphonist, though his band on this occasion includes brass and reeds in addition to the usual electric piano, electric bass, and congas, with most of the compositions and arrangements by Clare Fischer. Tjader, long one of the few non-Latin innovators in Latin jazz, is in top form and is able to work in the demanding direct-to-disc recording environment, which required recording an entire album side of performances without overdubs, splicing, or stopping for very long between selections. Due to its relatively low profile, this is one of Cal Tjader's lesser-known releases, but it is well worth acquiring.
CD & cassette reissues from the early 90s include two extra tracks ("Novios" and "Bachi") and both can be found at a good price if you put in a little work. Since it was on super budget label LaserLight I doubt it would sound nearly as good as this anyway. The quality of this pressing is impeccable, as it should be considering the process involved. The white-coloured vinyl is relatively easy to find but at $35 to $50 on the lower end of the spectrum with a still-sealed copy going for $75, it's not within everyone's grasp. Loyal readers of Soundological, on the other hand, know money's not an obstacle if they go HERE or HERE.
P.S. I just noticed that Smooth has posted another Crystal Clear Records direct-to-disc release today, this time by Merl Saunders, over at My Jazz World. If hi-fidelity is what you're after, I would definitely recommend you check out the man with some of the cleanest vinyl rips in blogopolis!
UPDATE: Simon was generous enough to post the two "missing" tracks from the CD so be sure to check the comments if you want the full meal deal.
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Vinyl rip & scans from World Pacific WPS-21453
Buddy Rich is about as well-known as drummers get, so we'll skip the formalities on him. Here he's playing around with one of the most influnetial musicians in India, the "Einstein of Rhythm" Ustad Alla Rakha. "Playing around" is the operative phrase here as this seems like a pretty half-assed stab at some East-meets-West schtick saved only by the impeccable musicianship of the players and generally good intentions all around.
Buddy Rich - Drums & Dholak
Alla Rakha - Tabla
Paul Horn - Flute
Shamim Ahmed - Sitar
Taranath Rao - Dholak
Nodu C. Mullick - Tamboura & Manjira
Amiya Das Gupta - Tamboura
1 Khanda Kafi
2 Duet In Dadra
3 Rangeela
4 Nagma E Raksh
5 Tal Sawari
Rakha and Rich "battle" on tabla and traps for only a couple cuts and Buddy's absent for most of the second side since the last track is a solo by Rakha recorded live at Shelley's Manne Hole and tacked onto the relatively short proceedings. Rich is obviously an incredible drummer and holds his own but he's still sorely outmatched and out of his element here, especially when he moves off the kit and they go mano à mano. I get the feeling he knows it and for all the time they supposedly spent together, my money's on that being the reason there's less than 20 minutes on record to speak for it.
At least for a fair portion of that time, they're joined by Paul Horn who had worked with Shankar two years earlier on Ravi Shankar: Portrait of a Genius. Horn was undergoing a huge transformation the year this was taped, to the point where AMG starts their bio for him saying "when one evaluates Paul Horn's career, it is as if he were two people, pre- and post-1967." He would initiate his Inside series shortly after this was released in Feb '68, heading to India to record his popular proto-New Age Inside The Taj Mahal material (also released as Inside and Inside II). With the loss of Orgy In Rhythm, most of the good Paul Horn sides floating around were lost to the blogosphere but out of what's available I highly recommend Visions and Alturo do Sol. I was never too big on the ersatz funkiness of Dream Machine but it does have its moments.
I'm assuming this was recorded while Ravi Shankar (who helped compose, arrange and conduct half the music on this LP) was hanging out in California around the time of the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He had already built a solid relationship with the label by that point and released three LPs of his own on Pacific Jazz's world music subsidiary World Pacific in a year's time while having a hand in a few others, including this one.
Shamim Ahmed is still playing Sitar and now goes by the esteemed title Ustad Shamim Ahmed Khan. He has released two albums in the west as far as I could tell, Sitar Maestro and Shamim Ahmed: Ragas of India.
Taranath Rao was already in his late 50s and an acknowledged grand master of percussion when this was recorded. Definitely a heavy hitter in the hide-hitter hierarchy, he played with the gurus of the gurus of the masters and was considered a walking museum of rhythms. Now that's some serious beat science.
Nodu C. Mullick was apparently an upstart in the music world, going from a cabinet-maker to a master Tamboura player who worked with Ravi Shankar extensively. He also was the person who hand-crafted and maintained Shankar's sitars and is notorious for getting a credit on the cover of Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Inventions' Freak Out.
Professor Amiya Dasgupta was one of Shankar's earliest disciples and was still relatively young at the time of this recording. He joined Taranath Rao at CalArts in L.A. during the 80s.
Reissued on CD back in 2001, Into The Rhythm's post of this session includes the liner notes from that release. I checked a week ago and didn't see this LP anywhere, so I ripped the audio and scanned the covers then just as I got to the 2nd last personality involved while doing the write up, I found ITR had put this up a few months ago. It was too late to stop by then so you can get yourself a digital version of the vinyl from Soundological right HERE or HERE.
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