Category Archives: Jazz
TERRY CALLIER-FAREWELL, BUT YOUR MUSIC LIVES ON.
TERRY CALLIER-FAREWELL, BUT YOUR MUSIC LIVES ON. It was late Sunday night when the news came through that Terry Callier had passed away. He was aged just sixty-seven and had lost an eighteen month battle with throat cancer. Straight away, memories came flooding back for me. It was the late-nineties, and I’d headed to …
BREAKWATER-SPLASHDOWN.
BREAKWATER-SPLASHDOWN. Imagine being one of the hottest unsigned bands in Philadelphia during the seventies and not even trying to get a deal with Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International Records. Not even knocking on Gamble and Huff’s door might seem strange or even, somewhat remiss. After all, Gamble and Huff were at the helm of …
BUNNY SIGLER-THAT’S HOW LONG I’LL BE LOVING YOU.
BUNNY SIGLER-THAT’S HOW LONG I’LL BE LOVING YOU. Back in the spring of 1974, Philadelphia International Records had a busy schedule of releases. They’d three albums scheduled for release. The first of this trio was M.F.S.B’s seminal Love Is The Message and the third was The O’Jays’ classic Ship Ahoy. In between these two …
BOBBY WOMACK-PIECES.
BOBBY WOMACK-PIECES. By 1977, when Bobby Womack entered the recording studio to record his twelfth studio album Pieces, his career had hit the buffers. Bobby’s music was no longer as successful as it had been in late-sixties and early-seventies. His two previous albums, BW Goes C&W and Home Is Where the Heart Is showed that …
DISCO RECHARGE-ULTIMATE-ULTIMATE AND ULTIMATE II.
DISCO RECHARGE-ULTIMATE-ULTIMATE AND ULTIMATE II. All too often, history repeats itself in music. This is as true in music as life. There are many examples of this, but a good example of this is the story of Bruce Weedon. Bruce who was one of the most innovative and creative disco producers of the late-seventies. No …
DISCO RECHARGE-COME INTO MY HEART AND USA-EUROPEAN CONNECTION-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE-COME INTO MY HEART AND USA-EUROPEAN CONNECTION-SPECIAL EDITION. For far too long, Boris Midney’s role in the development of Euro Disco has been overlooked. That is until now. Recently, the Disco Recharge label released a double-album of two of of Boris’ albums. This was Disco Recharge-Boris Midney Volume 1-Beautiful Blend and Caress. However, two …
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE.
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE. During his career, Dan Hartman wrote almost 250 songs and appeared on over one-hundred albums and worked with everyone from Loleatta Holloway, Dusty Springfield, Little Richard, Diana Ross, James Brown, Tina Turner and the Average White Band. Dan also released eight solo albums between his 1976 debut album Images and his …
ADE ALAFIA ADIO-O.R.G.A.S.M.
ADE ALAFIA ADIO-O.R.G.A.S.M. One of the most important parts of any record company is the A&R Department, which discovers new talent. For smaller labels, this is even more important as sometime, they can pick up some really talented artists early in their career, and nurture them. Often, new talented artists can be found in the …
DISCO RECHARGE-VOYAGE 3-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE-VOYAGE 3-SPECIAL EDITION. Since Harmless Records launched their Disco Recharge label in June 2012, they’ve revisited the first two of Voyage’s four albums, Let’s Fly Away and Voyage. For anyone who loves disco, these two albums were a very welcome rerelease and became part of their collection. Now for the latest instalment of the …
NEWBAN-NEWBAN AND NEWBAN 2.
NEWBAN-NEWBAN AND NEWBAN 2. After deciding to form a new band, sometimes one of the most difficult decisions its members make is choosing a name. After all, it has to be something original and catchy. For Albert “Duke” Jones Jr, and Peter Carroll Jr, they had what can only be best describes as one of …
NUTRITIOUS PRESENTS DUKE WILLIAMS AND THE EXTREMES.
NUTRITIOUS PRESENTS DUKE WILLIAMS AND THE EXTREMES. All too often, good music for whatever reason, passes unnoticed. It can be for any number of reasons, from a record company not promoting an album properly, that particular genre of music becoming unpopular, the band splitting up or even the record company becoming insolvent. I’ve come across …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-UP THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-UP THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. For Salsoul Records and The Salsoul Orchestra, Up The Yellow Brick Road would prove to be the end of an era. Up The Yellow Brick Road proved to be last Salsoul Orchestra arranged, produced and featuring the sound of vibes virtuoso Vince Montana Jr. It also proved to …
ARETHA FRANKLIN-LOVE HURT ALL THE WAY.
ARETHA FRANKLIN-LOVE HURT ALL THE WAY. After signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Aretha Franklin released a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums. From 1967s I Never Loved A Man the Way I Loved You and Aretha Arrives, through 1968s Lady Soul and Aretha Now and 1969s Soul ’69 Aretha enjoyed five US …
GQ-DISCO NIGHTS.
GQ-DISCO NIGHTS. After a chance meeting with a man walking his dog and a change of name to GQ in 1978, the lives of four musical veterans were forever changed. Later that year, when GQ released their debut single Disco Nights (Rock Freak) in December 1978. and it would reach number one in the US R&B …
DIONNE WARWICK-HEARTBREAKER.
DIONNE WARWICK-HEARTBREAKER. Dionne Warwick found her career at a crossroads in 1978. She was without a recording contract and even contemplating retiring. Her final album for Warner Bros, 1977s Love At First Sight had failed to chart and Dionne hadn’t had an album certified gold since 1968s Dionne Warwick In the Valley of the Dolls. …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA. Sometimes, fate plays an important part in the success of an artist, album or in the case of Saloul Records, a record label. This was the case when Ken Cayre met vibes virtuoso Vince Montana Jr. Ken Cayre wanted to import the Philly Sound to his nascent record label, Salsoul, …
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