Quintessence "Sonoma Rag"

Hey everyone, I’ve had this one ready for awhile and keep thinking I’ll have time to do a little write up to accompany the post but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. I’ve been way too busy burning the candle at both ends trying to get this little coffee shop I’m trying to open off the ground. Anyways, the review below is complements of O-dub AKA Oliver Wang. Hope you all enjoy this rare slice of private press jazz.

From what I've been told (and can infer), this was put out by a jazz group in the northern part of the Bay Area (where Sonoma is located). 2/3rds of it is a fairly striaght-ahead jazz album except for two, very notable tracks. The first is "Cotati Funk" which kicks off the B-side, and starts off with a simple bassline and then drummer Ken Ilusorio drops the beat hammer and the songs swings into one helluva soul-jazz smash, practically eight minutes of non-stop illistics. This is followed by another killer groove, "Salsa de Santa Rosa" which is more uptempo, adds in some Afro-Latin flavor and some swinging horn melodies. S.F.'s Luv N' Haight was wise to this LP back in the day and put out both cuts on two different compilations in the early '90s. The album itself though came out on a small independent label so it's a tough one to track down.



Billy Browning – Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax, Flute
Frederick Coleman – Trumpet, Fluglehorn
Joe Kennedy – Piano
John Goodman – Bass
Ken Ilusorio – Percussion

Wish me luck with the coffe shop. I'll be back when the time presents itself.

Peace........................Dr. Fever

Melvyn Price Rytmer II

Happy Holidays everyone!! Life has been busy for me to say the least. We’ve had some crazy winter weather here in the Pacific NW and I’ve also been spending a tremendous amount of time trying to get a small business off the ground in the midst of this lovely recession. This has unfortunately has left me little time for blogging or even keeping up on the haps on blogland in general. Yada, yada, yada , enough of the personal snoredom and onto the music.

Recently, Wax Poetic’s released Melvyn Price’s 1974 LP Rhythm and Blues on record and CD, which if you haven’t purchased you really should HERE. This is his 1971 release on Meldor, which is comprised of just extended percussion and bass grooves. I believe it was meant to serve as a soundtrack for dancing but it holds up well on it’s own as a simple percussive jam session. It would be a fun album to throw on and jam over the top of with some Rhodes (Simon?) or any instrument of your choice really. Anyways check it out and let me know think.

See you in 2009!

Peace.....................Dr. Fever

With a little help from my friends......Freddy Robinson

Since I can't seem to get a post up to save my life these days, new blogger Arkiver has answered a long time request of mine and posted Freddy Robinson "Hot Fun In The Summertime" at his new blog. Stop by and check out this slice of fonky-ass blues and welcome Arkiver to blogland.

I'm still working on getting the Melvyn Price joint up here. I promise I will return shortly with some nice goodies for ya'll.

Peace..........................................Dr. Fever

Fuller filler for the Shad Shack

I’m back with a little Mainstream musical solace to help put your ears at ease during these times of turmoil. Ever since the inception of the Shad Shack I have been itching to post this excellent Curtis Fuller album. The trombone is not an instrument that easily lends itself to the art form of jazz. In essence, there are only a handful of cats that can make the bone rip in a jazz set and Curtis definitely one of them. This is his second LP recorded for the Mainstream label and follows basically the same template as the first. On “Smokin’”, Curtis finds himself amidst a swinging group of young players and a few vets who mix up the grooves with an even split between electric and acoustic numbers. This album would prove to be Fuller’s final for the Mainstream label and also his last foray into the electric side of jazz. Curtis has continued to record and has released albums a recently as 2005.






Boomp3.com


Curtis Fuller - trombone
Earl Dunbar - electric and acoustic guitar
Cedar Walton – electric and acoustic piano
Billy Higgins - drums
Mickey Bass – fender and acoustic bass
Jimmy Heath – soprano and tenor sax
Bill Hardman - trumpet

Been meaning to get this one out for about 3 weeks now, better late than never I guess. Leave your feelings for the Fuller in the comments.

Peace........................Dr. Fever

Big Thanks!!

Once again, my requests have been answered. Check out this legendary slice of South Florida jazz-funk from 1977. Pay no attention to the cover, this album is a real heater. The Jazzberry Patch was a trio made up of sax/flute, keys, and drums and are backed by a full band on this LP which includes Mike Longo on the Rhodes. Longo also wrote the liner notes where he gives the band some major props. The title track here is a unrelenting 20 minute smoker and with the exception of the vocals on some of the joints the whole album just kicks some serious ass. An original copy of this LP will set you back some serious duckets, check it out here. Purchase a CD directly from the band's website here.

Boomp3.com

Boomp3.com

Ben Champion - Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Sax & Flute
Ken Burkhart – Organ, Clavinet, Moog Synthesizer, Strings & Vocals
Danny Burger – Tubes & Percussion
Mike Longo – Fender Rhodes & Strings
David Winters – Congas & Percussion
Kelton Champion – Guitar
Gary “Tiny” Champion – Bass
Mickey McGann – Piano & Strings

This one is compliments of vpex who answered my request again. Just check out the comments under Joe Pass "Better Days".

I'll be back with a post of my own before the week is up.

Peace................... Dr. Fever

P.S. Special thanks to Reza, whose blog presence is sorely missed.

More Joe Pass!!!

Man, I almost forgot. Big props to vpex for knocking one off my request list. This Joe Pass album is a real killer and a whole lot funkier than you would ever expect. Carol Kaye's bass work here is stellar. Check it out, you won't be disappointed!!



Boomp3.com

Give your thanks to vpex for this awesome share.

Peace........................ Dr. Fever

D.J. Rogers "D.J. Rogers"

Sorry, I've been lagging a bit on the posting lately. Life has been busy, nuff said. Hopefully this one will make up for it. It's a favorite of mine that I haven't seen yet in blogland. So, enough of the blah, blah, blah and on to the album......................

This album has always held a special place in my heart because it was brought to my attention by a good friend of mine who has since past away. I can still remember the first time he played it for me and told me it was Sly Stone. I kept thinking that I had somehow missed a Sly album somewhere between “Riot” and “Fresh”, which really threw me for a loop. Well, eventually he told me it was D.J. Rogers and showed me the album. I would spend the next few years trying to track down this record to no avail. Ironically, I finally did procure a copy of it in a trade with my same buddy (funny how record karma works sometimes). To this day I still have never run across another copy of it. So this one is courtesy of my good friend Keith who’s impeccable taste in music was unparalleled.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with Mr. DeWayne Julius (D.J.) Rogers and the work he did on the RCA and Columbia labels in the late 70’s. Although he never achieved major stardom, D.J. did score a few hits over the years, most notably “Say you love me” which was later covered by Natalie Cole. The album below is his first solo effort and was released in 1973 by Leon Russell’s Shelter label. It might be easy to dismiss this effort as some sort of Sly Stone rip-off, which upon listening to cuts like “March On” and “Bail Out” out of the context of the album, may seem like a valid criticism. However, after listening to the album as whole one begins to understand that D.J. is far from a Sly impersonator. The album's mix of down home gut-bucket funk backed by a gospel choir with heavy soul vocals in the front is a sound that is all D.J. It's the kind of album that just plain and simple delivers the goods.




Boomp3.com

Boomp3.com

Bobby Watson/ Andre Lewis/ Keith Hatchell – Bass
Fred Allen/ E.T. Thomas/ Scott Sansby/ Ron Woods – Drums
David T. Walker/ Marlo Henderson – Guitar
Rhonge Southern – Rhythm Guitar
D.J. Rogers – Vocals, Clavinet, Keyboards
Kenneth Loper – Organ
Clarence McDonald – Piano
“Sod” – Horns
Stan Lee Ensemble - Background Vocals under the direction of D.J. Rogers
Lomie Washburn, Patty Hall, Rhonge Southern, Maxayn Lewis, Andre Lewis, Marlo Henderson, Marsha Smith and Sigidi - Background Vocals

Roger, if your feelin' it let me know in the comments

Peace................ Dr. Fever