Jeannie Trevor - Sings!!

JEANNIE TREVOR
Jeannie Trevor Sings!!
1965
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Mainstream 56075

Preview clips:
Four
Visit Me

Could any record be better suited to current predilections of Soundological? We have here a lesser-known chanteuse supported by the Quartette Trés Bien recording for the first incarnation of Bob Shad's Mainstream records, wrapped in a wonderful Jack Lonshein pop-art cover. Although the QTB is not listed by name "due to contractual problems" (in other words, Bobby didn't want to pay Decca and/or Norman Wienstroer) their sound is unmistakable and Jeter Thompson is given ample room to shine on the ivories throughout. In fact, it pretty much sounds like a slightly poppier-than-usual QTB record with a vocalist and a horn player present - a good thing in this case considering the fine talents displayed by both soloists.

Jeanne Trevor was a Harlem native who trained in opera and then moved out west after graduation, eventually settling in St. Louis after a short stint in tinseltown. With her wide vocal range and ability to belt out big tunes as easily as she can sweetly and softly croon, she soon become a local icon in the swinging 60s scene revolving around the infamous Gaslight Square district. Mainly a live performer, aside from contemporaneous singles on local labels like Norman Records, "the first lady of St. Louis jazz" would not return to the recording studio for another 33 years (not counting the occasional voice work on commercials that garnered her a Grammy). Rather than delve into her long and illustrious bio here, you can read it elsewhere or watch a recent interview with her below.

Jeanne Trevor on KETC-TV St. Louis

Trevor and the QTB are joined on this set by another legendary Gaslighter, Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum. He's the uncle of smooth jazz sax sensation Kirk Whalum, who's been causing a stir the last few years with his The Gospel According To Jazz concert series, the most recent of which features George Duke. Although not the most recognised name in the biz, he's played with luminaries like Nat King Cole, Billy Exkstine, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald to name but a few. Born in Memphis, Whalum wound up in St. Louis when he was touring with Lionel Hampton's band and the city happened to be the tour's last stop. Seems he just stuck around ever since.

Peanuts is often praised by industry insiders for his subtle improvisational skills and his personal approach to phrasing on sax. He's also highly regarded among musicians for his ability to effortlessly forge an emotional connection to both his material and his band-mates. Much the way a sports team's playmaker will chalk up more assists than goals themselves, Peanuts is one of those sought-after accompanists who focuses more on the final score than personal glory. Still plugging away at 82 on piano as well as tenor, he released his first solo album Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum in 2006 to high critical praise - head over to his MySpace page to hear some of the tunes.

Jeanne & Peanuts ca. 2009 c/o St. Louis Magazine

As you probably gathered from watching the interview or judging by the pic just above, Trevor also remains active on the scene to this day. As well as acting in plays and musicals, she continues to be a popular draw as a songbird both on tour and in St. Louis where, some 45 years on from the recording of this album, she can still be seen gigging with Peanuts. Besides the aforementioned release in 1998, she also appears on a recent CD, Together, a collection of standards in duet with yet another Gaslight Square veteran, Kevin Kruth.

1999 Love You Madly
buy at Amazon

2009 Together w/ Kevin Kurth
buy at kmk music

Jeannie Trevor - Vocals
Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum - Sax
Jeter Thompson - Piano
Richard Simmons - Bass
Albert St. James - Drums
Percy James - Percussion


1 People Will Say We're In Love
2 Don't Blame Me
3 Get Out Of My Life
4 I've Got You Under My Skin
5 Four
6 Lady With A Painted Smile
7 Moonlight Serenade
8 The Last Moment
9 I Know That You Know
10 From An Ancient Proverb
11 The Lady's In Love With You
12 Visit Me


If you happen to find this album for less than $50, consider yourself lucky. This rip is from a mono version (it seems almost impossible to find a stereo version) that was in excellent condition when it arrived on the doorstep. In fact, the original shrinkwrap was fully intact and only removed so the cover could be properly scanned for posterity. You can have your own personal powwow with Jeannie, Peanuts and the QTB by checking out the comments.

Les McCann - Les McCann Plays The Hits

LES McCANN
Les McCann Plays The Hits
1966
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Limelight LS 86041

Another of Les McCann's unabashed stabs at the mainstream market for Quincy Jones' Limelight during the mid-60s, Les McCann Plays The Hits is exactly what the title advertises. Although enjoyable on the whole, it's generally a luke-warm affair for the most part as Les sounds less eager to interpret these tunes than the liner notes would lead you to believe. While "Sunny" and "Sunshine Superman" certainly have sizzle, and McCann's jubilation during the gospel read of "River Deep, Mountain High" is palpable even in the bum notes, the remainder of the instrumentals come off as merely the work of a lounge band, albeit a highly competent one as the roster attests.

Original Billboard review from Nov. 19, 1966

Ironically, two of the top tracks are not only the sole original compositions, one by himself and one by friend Gene "Not Yet Eugene" McDaniels, they're also the only vocal tunes and seem somewhat tacked-on to the track listing. It could be the inclusion of "Sad Little Girl" and "Compared To What" was a concession on Limelight's part, especially when it comes to the latter song. That type of social commentary in pop soul lyrics, which would be Les' specialty by the time he moved to Atlantic, had not yet fully come into vogue on the hit parade. The Summer of Love was still almost a year off and the bubbling brew of aspirational middle-class America's angst and disillusionment was not quite potent enough to sanctify its clear reflection in the charts.

As noted a few years ago on Funky 16Corners, this seems to be the first recorded appearance of McDaniels' "Compared To What." It pre-dates any others involving McCann and was taped prior to any version recorded by McDaniels himself. I originally heard the track on Roberta Flack's First Take, a classic soul-jazz "perfect storm" that remains one of my most cherished albums. Although for me Flack's remains the definitive version (mostly due to Ron Carter's bass), this version feels closer to the style McDaniels' exhibited on his later albums, such as the 1971 masterpiece Headless Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Willie Mitchell - Solid Soul

WILLIE MITCHELL
Solid Soul
1968
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Hi SH-32045

San-Ho-Zay



In a city populated by multiple generations of musical goliaths, WIllie Mitchell was somehow still able to stand head and shoulders above most Memphians. Since his passing this January, there have been many tributes made and obits written, so we'll keep it short and sweet here at SI. I'm throwing this one down mostly due to the fact that my pal, Professor Groove, asked me to guest on WeFunk Radio tonight to drop some science on Mitchell and flip some beats, both old and new, to highlight his legacy. You can listen to the live stream on CKUT's site if you like (midnight EST) and later I'll also drop a link to the show on the deep 'n' dope WeFunk archives).

While gearing up I noticed blogopolis was devoid of this smouldering coal of southern soul, so thought I'd share this classic set with y'all. Hip hop hedz will know the main joint Groovin' from GZA of the Wu-Tang's Liquid Swords but I originally bought it back in the 80s for the covers of Hugh Masakela's Grazing In The Grass and Cliff Noble's The Horse (previously posted here). If you ask me though, the real killer thriller is the rendition of Freddie King's San-Ho-Zay, a banger for the boards and a track that falls squarely between the nascent funk sound of the time and four-on-the-floor shakers familiar to the Northern Soul scene. On the whole, this LP sounds exactly like the cover sez and how it looks: Solid. Soul. Slick. Badass.

Wille's "Groovin'" vs. GZA's "Liquid Swords"

Wax Poetics' Obituary

One of the greatest record producers ever, Poppa Willie Mitchell ruled the soul charts with hits on Hi Records for O. V. Wright, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Otis Clay, Ann Peebles, and Syl Johnson. But everything changed the day a young soul crooner named Al Green arrived at his doorstep in South Memphis.

They had previously met in Texas at one of Green’s gigs. Mitchell offered to bring him back to Memphis, but Green wasn’t quite ready to commit. “He wanted to know how long it would take to make him a star,” Mitchell told Andria Lisle in Wax Poetics Issue 9. “I told him eighteen months, and you know what he said? ‘I really can’t wait that long!’” Poppa Willie, with a heart of gold, loaned the young Al $1500 to pay off some debts, but without a contract, Al Green disappeared into the night. “About six months later,” Mitchell remembered, “the doorbell rang at six o’clock in the morning. I thought it was a man coming to paint my kitchen, but the guy said, ‘Don’t you remember me? I’m Al Green.’”

Willie Mitchell died on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. He was eighty-one.

When you compare the Al Green anecdote with another one told by Al Bell at Mitchell's Memorial in Memphis, it's clear Willie really was as generous as they say. Seems after Stax went belly up, Al was not only persona non grata in the Memphis music scene for a while, the outcome was also financially crippling for him. During the service he reminisced how his main competitor, Willie, was the one cat who kept Al and his family from falling through the cracks at that crucial time. You can read all about it at Red Kelly's stupendously informative and stupid cool the "B'" side, a blog all soul fans should have the pleasure of perusing.


Willie Mitchell - Trumpet
Charles Hodges - Organ, Keyboards
Leroy Hodges - Bass
Mabon "Teenie" Hodges - Guitar
Al Jackson, Jr. - Drums


1 Prayer Meetin'
2 Grazing in the Grass
3 Windy
4 Sunrise Serenade
5 The Horse
6 Groovin'
7 San-Ho-Zay
8 Up Hard
9 Monkey Jump
10 Strawberry Soul
11 Hideaway
12 Willie Wam


Willie Mitchell Links
Hi Records Home Page
Wikipedia
AMG Bio
Red Kelly's the "A" Side and the "B" Side


Solid Soul was reissued on CD in 1993 (Hi 120) and again on Sept. 11, 2001 (Hi 182), on each occasion it was packaged as 2-for-1 with its successor, On Top. Both reissues are OOP and can fetch big bucks on line ($200 at Amazon! WTF!) so don't think twice and grab it if you see it for a reasonable price.

In the meantime, Soundological does your Willie a solid HERE or HERE.