Archive for November 1st, 2012
Welcome to the November 2012 issue of Black Grooves, sponsored by the Archives of African American Music and Culture.
Since this is election month, our featured release is Boots Riley and The Coup’s Sorry to Bother You, an album dedicated to the Occupy Wallstreet movement that has a beat poet vibe and guest appearances by Vernon Reid (Living Colour), the Jazz Mafia Horn Section and a Classical Revolution string trio mixing harmoniously with Das Racist and Killer Mike.
Classical and jazz releases include Violin Music of African-American Composers performed by Tami Lee Hughes, the opera crossover album Noah by Harlem tenor Noah Stewart, Life As a Ballad by Eastman School of Music classically trained singer Jeremiah Abiah, Catherine Russell’s album of vocal jazz standards Strictly Romancin’, and the new Sony Legacy Sarah Vaughan box set The Complete Columbia Albums.
Gospel and R&B releases include the self-titled debut album from gospel group Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy, the new Jackson 5 box set Come and Get It: Rare Pearls, the Ike Turner compilation Session Man Extraordinaire: Selected Singles 1951-1959, and The Ad Libs’ Complete Blue Cat Recordings featuring 1960s doo-wop on Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s Blue Cat Records.
Under the general melting pot of funk, rock and blues are reviews of legendary funk/jazz guitarist Cornell Dupree’s final album I’m Alright, Detroit musician Nadir Omowale’s solid funk workout The Book of Jonah, Larry Graham and Graham Central Station’s Raise Up with contributions from Prince & Raphael Saadiq, musician/actor (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) Chris Thomas King’s blues rock album Bona Fide, the Joey Negro compilation Go-Go Get Down: Pure Ghetto Funk from Washington D.C, Joey Negro & the Sunburst Band’s house-infused disco creation The Secret Life of Us, The Memorials’ Afro-punk sophomore effort Delirium, and Death Grip’s punk rap album Money Store.
Wrapping up this issue is the compilation Diablos del Ritmo: The Colombian Melting Pot, 1960–1985 and the reissue of the Karantamba International Band’s 1984 album Ndigal featuring psychedelic Afro-funk from Sene-Gambia.
November 1st, 2012
Title: Sorry to Bother You
Artist: The Coup
Label: Anti
Formats: CD, MP3
Release date: October 30, 2012
Just in time for the November election, Boots Riley has released his magnum opus, Sorry to Bother You, dedicated to the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement. Whatever your political or musical persuasion, it’s impossible not to admire the audacity of the biting rhymes as well as the sheer creativity of this project.
Riley, who also performs with Tom Morello’s Street Sweeper Social Club, formed his political hip hop collective The Coup in 1991, and to date they’ve released five full-length albums, the last of which was Pick a Bigger Weapon (2006). Throughout the ensuing six years Riley’s unwaivering dedication to music that’s relevant to social change has also been expressed in projects with Galactic, Ursus Minor, and Atari Teenage Riot, and more recently he’s been heavily involved in the Occupy Oakland movement. In fact, according to Riley, OWS is the “bigger weapon”—an organized movement to create “a system in which we democratically control the profit we create.”
The opening track and first single released from the album, “Magic Clap,” is Riley’s call for action, an anthem to fire up the masses: “It’s like a hotwire, baby, when we put it together / when the sparks fly, we’ll ignite the future forever . . .” Featuring Riley, Silk-E, and Lindsey Kate Cristofani on vocals, and Coup regulars Pam the Funktress, Gabby La La (accordion), Damion Gallegos (guitar, bass) and Jeff RJFski (drums), among others, this infectious song was released as the first music video:
Following is “Strange Arithmetic,” Riley’s expose on a passive education system that’s more likely to create victims than empower students to become agents of change. Riley, on the other hand, has no problem providing some edutainment on the subject: “Social Studies, the goliath to tackle, Which turns into a sermon on simplicity of shackles / Physics is to school you on the science of force, ‘Cept for how to break the hell out the ghetto, of course / Home Ec can teach you how to make a few sauces, And accept low pay from your Walmart bosses / If your school won’t show you how to fight for what’s needed, Then they’re training you to go through life and get cheated.” Similar sentiments are expressed in “The Gods of Science,” spit in beat poet fashion over riffs from the Jazz Mafia Horn Section punctuated by Vernon Reid (Living Colour) on guitar and Gabby La La on sitar, as well as in the song “Land of 7 Billion Dances” where the chorus shouts “Shake it, Yeah / We agitate it, Yeah / We bump and break it, Yeah / We finna take it, Yeah!” Another great track is “Your Parent’s Cocaine,” a scathing expose on the children of the “one percenters” accompanied by kazoo.
On a somewhat lighter note, “Violet” serves as a peaceful interlude, its poetry set over a string trio featuring the founder (Charith Premawardhana) and other members of Classical Revolution, a group appropriately organized at San Francisco’s Revolution Café that now includes chapters across the U.S. and in several other countries with the goal of presenting chamber music in casual neighborhood venues. Chalk another one up to Riley for including classical music in his revolution.
The remaining tracks are equally impressive and though the content is serious, the delivery is lighthearted and the funky beats are infectious. There’s a guest appearance by Das Racist (Kool AD and Himanshu) and Killer Mike on the closing track, WAVIP, but frankly I prefer Riley’s flow and provocative poetry.
All of the lyrics (written primarily by Riley with Damion Gallegos) are included in the liner notes, along with the teaser that this album’s actually the soundtrack to the forthcoming movie of the same name―a dark comedy with magical realism inspired by Riley’s time as a telemarketer. Seriously?
Reviewed by Brenda Nelson-Strauss
November 1st, 2012
Title: Come and Get It: Rare Pearls
Artist: Jackson 5
Label: Hip-O Select
Format: 2-CD + 45rpm box set
Release date: September 15, 2012
Is it possible to get enough of the Jackson 5? Not for me, though I freely admit my bias and nostalgia for the ‘70s when the group was regularly topping the charts. Thankfully, there are still numerous unreleased J5 recordings in the vault, and this set proves that many of them are indeed “rare pearls.”
Come and Get It was compiled by Deke Richards, the Motown songwriter/producer tapped by Barry Gordy to produce the J5’s first album. In the liner notes Richards tells the story of his first encounter with the group in the summer of 1969, when Gordy drove some of his L.A. staff over to the Daisy Club on Rodeo Drive. “My jaw dropped to the floor. I didn’t know how else to respond to seeing Frankie Lymon, James Brown and Jackie Wilson portrayed by the same little cat at the same time. Was that possible? Was that really possible? I was less than 20 feet away from these five young boys from Indiana, and I can tell you right now: Yes. It was the Gospel Truth. If you ever heard a young entertainer sing his or her heart out once in your life . . . I guarantee you: the experience was nothing like the night I saw Michael Jackson and his four brothers.” And that’s exactly what makes this set compelling: 32 previously unreleased tracks, recorded between 1969-1974, illustrating the maturation of Michael from a frighteningly talented 11-year-old prodigy to a fully seasoned professional at 16.
The songs on each disc are not quite consecutive (care is taken to create a good flow), but disc one primarily consists of tracks recorded from 1969-1971. Highlights include “I Got a Sure Thing” penned by Stax’s Al Bell and Booker T. Jones; a funny cover of Randy Newman’s “Mama Told Me Not to Come;” the Hal Davis produced “Someone’s Standing in My Love Light;” and the studio version of “Feelin’ Alright.”
Disc two continues through 1974, the Jackson’s final year on Motown. Stand out tracks include a cover of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s “You Can’t Hurry Love” where Michael demonstrates that he can easily out sing the Supremes; “Keep Off the Grass” written, produced and arranged by Deke Richards; the Hal Davis produced “Let’s Go Back to Day One;” and “Label Me Love” (produced by Clay McMurray) and “Jumbo Sam” featuring Michael without his brothers. The three bonus tracks include the original complete versions of “That’s How Love Is,” “If I Have to Move a Mountain,” and the demo of “Mama’s Pearl,” all produced and arranged by The Corporation (Deke Richards, Freddie Perren, Alphonso Mizell and Berry Gordy).
The box set, which is the size of a 7-inch tape reel, includes a 31-page booklet with wonderful archival photos, the two CDs housed in 45-style sleeves, and one Motown 45-rpm disc featuring “If the Shoe Don’t Fit” on the A-side (one of the best tracks on the set) and “Feelin’ Alright” on the B-side (both are also included on the CDs). This compilation is even better than Hip-O’s previous release from 2009, I Want You Back: Unreleased Masters. If you have any J5 fans on your holiday shopping list pick this up now, because the pressing is limited to 4000 copies.
Reviewed by Brenda Nelson-Strauss
November 1st, 2012
Title: Legacy: Violin Music of African-American Composers
Artists: Tami Lee Hughes, violin; Ellen Bottorff, piano
Label: Albany
Formats: CD, MP3
Release date: August 1, 2011
A new collection that challenges simplistic notions about what it means to be an African American composer of classical music, this album contains an eclectic group of pieces for violin and piano. Its selections arch across nearly two centuries and include some works that explicitly draw on Black musical idioms and some that do so more subtly, or not at all. The performers, faculty members at the University of Kansas, skillfully interpret this wide range of styles and eras. Composers represented include Francis [Frank] Johnson, George Morrison, David N. Baker, Ozie C. Cargile II, and Chad “Sir Wick” Hughes. Particularly exciting is that the album captures voices from the past as well as presenting the work of three living African American composers.
Although the album proceeds in chronological order, it also replicates the sensation of attending a well-programmed concert. Johnson’s brief and peppy “Bingham’s Cotillion” (1820) functions rhetorically as an overture. Next come two weighty, multi-movement pieces: Morrison’s “Five Violin Solos” (1947) and Baker’s “Jazz Suite” (1979). Here the album’s narrative trajectory culminates as the two lengthy works demonstrate different approaches to engaging with Black musical traditions. Morrison’s “Solos” are simple settings of four spirituals (plus an original lullaby), while Baker’s pungent “Jazz Suite” subtly riffs on elements of jazz style and heritage without literally arranging extant melodies. Two brief, single-movement pieces in contrasting tempi and moods conclude the album: Cargile’s “Mixed Feelings” (2000) and Hughes’ “S.L.I.C.E.” (2009).
Each piece represents a sonic snapshot of a moment in American musical history. Johnson’s sprightly “Cotillion” evokes upper-crust social dancing of the early nineteenth century, a scene the Black bandleader, violinist, and bugler dominated in Philadelphia. On hearing the piece, one imagines the vibrant social pageantry that accompanied it, along with the reverence Johnson was accorded (one contemporary called him “the presiding deity” of such social affairs, and “an important personage, certainly!”). Morrison’s slow, sparse settings of “Motherless Child” and “Steal Away,” on the other hand, recall the postbellum tradition of spirituals arranged for solo voice and piano, with the violin standing in for the voice. Morrison was also a dance-band leader in Colorado in the swing era; this legacy is foregrounded in his raucous, rhythmic setting of “Every Time I Feel the Spirit.” And Baker’s “Jazz Suite” calls forth, retrospectively yet in a progressive voice, a kaleidoscopic range of jazz styles: boogie-woogie, bebop, and Afro-Caribbean influences.
This wide range of repertoire is performed convincingly by the duo, who move from a clean, brilliant, “dry” approach in the “Cotillion” to a lush, resonant sound in sonorous pieces such as Cargile’s “Mixed Feelings”:
The album’s excellent audio quality is marked by immediacy, clarity, and balance. Thanks to the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago, the album’s liner notes (by Horace Maxile, Jr.) are thorough, presenting biographical data and images, a discussion of each work’s significance, and brief listening guides. This album, unique for its chronological range, stylistic diversity, performance quality, and focus on rarely-recorded chamber works, constitutes an important addition to any collection of art music by African American composers.
Reviewed by Carrie Allen Tipton
November 1st, 2012
Title: The Complete Columbia Albums Collection
Artist: Sarah Vaughan
Label: Sony Music Entertainment
Format: 4-CD box set
Release date: August 28, 2012
If one was to consider the top three jazz singers of the 20th century, the first names that come to mind would be Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. Their recordings enjoy continued popularity and although some are older than sixty years, they are regularly reissued to this day. Such is the case for this new Sarah Vaughan box set from Sony Legacy, featuring her complete collection of albums released on Columbia.
This 4 disc box set begins with Vaughan’s earliest work for Columbia and ends in her final years. The first two discs are the 1955 releases After Hours With Sarah Vaughan and Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi. They document Vaughan at her best, performing numerous hits that characterized her career—“East of the Sun (And West of the Moon),” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” etc. Nearly 30 years later and near the end of her life there were two more Columbia releases, Gershwin Live (1982) and Brazilian Romance (1987), her final record, yet Vaughan still displays the talent evident when she was first discovered by Columbia. Each disc is presented in a cardboard sleeve preserving the original album art, while the liner notes provide descriptions of the original records, a brief overview of Sarah Vaughan’s career with Columbia, and track listings. The Complete Columbia Albums Collection doesn’t include anything new, but if you don’t own previous reissues of these albums or are simply someone interested in being introduced to one of the greats in vocal jazz, the box set is a good value.
Reviewed by Ian Hallagan
November 1st, 2012
Title: Noah
Artist: Noah Stewart
Label: Decca
Formats: CD, MP3
Release date: July 3, 2012 (U.S. edition)
The opera world has long been engaged in a battle for cultural relevance, fought on the turf of pastiche albums, public television specials, outdoor concerts, and increasingly attractive singers—trends aimed at consumers firmly entrenched in pop music sensibilities. The latest, most intriguing singer to blossom within this pop-opera matrix is Harlem-born tenor Noah Stewart, whose first album, Noah, announces his crossover intentions quite clearly. Receiving positive coverage by Essence, the UK Guardian, Opera News, and NPR, Noah did well on the UK classical music charts. In tandem with the release, Stewart toured several continents while maintaining an opera production schedule. The album is an achievement of historical interest, not necessarily for the novelty of its contents, but for Stewart’s being the first African American singer to effectively tap into the “Andrea Boccelli market.”
The album accomplishes this task via the standard crossover cocktail of classical favorites (Puccini’s “Recondita Armonia” and the Bach/Gounod “Ave Maria”), heavily orchestrated pop covers (Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”), and American folk songs, including the spiritual “Deep River.” Stewart’s tenor is pleasing and rich, well-described by one reviewer as “baritonish,” and yields consistently lyrical interpretations. The tracks share an identical dramatic trajectory: thinly-orchestrated early verses build to a choral and orchestral climax while Stewart powers into the high range. Although the device feels formulaic when applied across such diverse repertoire, it works well in the stunning arrangement of “Shenandoah” since it effectively reflects the lyric’s intensifying narrative of poignant longing.
Stewart’s first music video from the album is “Without a Song,” from the 1929 Broadway musical Great Day by Vincent Youmans. The use of the music video medium to frame Stewart as the object as both erotic desire and musical admiration reinforces the PR narrative that this is no stout, musty old tenor warbling obscure recitatives, but that he is one of a bold new breed of crossover stars intent on maximizing their multimedia presence just like the pop artists do:
Probably a function of the crossover singer’s perpetual dilemma, Stewart occasionally shows technical indecisiveness about whether to use exclusively vibrato or to incorporate a pop-inflected straight-tone delivery. Additionally, in the American songs, Stewart pronounces “ah” for the long “i.” Occurring first in “Deep River,” this initially sounded like an effort at vernacular southern dialect; but since it recurs in other American selections, one assumes it was an intentional, if puzzling, artistic decision. Also related to the crossover paradigm, Opera News criticized the album for the application of pop studio production values to classical repertoire, and one indeed hears odd echo effects at the ends of some tracks.
Despite these minor issues, the album is worth owning for the general pleasantness of Stewart’s timbre and for its cultural significance. Stewart stands self-consciously in the lineage of iconic Black opera singers, although his pursuit of crossover success prior to the firm establishment of an operatic career and the marketing of his physical appearance delineate a contemporary career path. Further augmenting Stewart’s unique profile is his publicly gay identity, which he readily discusses in interviews. After studying at the Juilliard School on the recommendation of Leontyne Price, Stewart built a CV blending artistic riskiness and conservatism: backup singing for Mariah Carey; appearances in contemporary operas by Philip Glass and John Adams; roles in bel canto warhorses; and forays into Baroque opera. Whether some of these diverse musical enterprises will compromise his legitimacy with the purist variety of opera fan remains to be seen. Although Noah only partially captures Stewart’s musical versatility, it still marks his successful entry into the “popera” world.
Reviewed by Carrie Allen Tipton
Editor’s note: the original U.K. release includes Sting’s “Fields of Gold,” Massenet’s “Pourquoi Me Réveiller” and “Silent Night;” on the U.S. edition these songs are replaced by “This Land Is My Land,” “Star-Spangled Banner” and “I Have a Dream.”
November 1st, 2012
Title: Life As A Ballad
Artist: Abiah
Label: Madoh Music
Formats: CD, MP3
Release date: August 28, 2012
A native of Rochester, New York, classically trained singer Jeremiah Abiah studied at the Eastman School of Music under Patricia Alexander (Renee Fleming’s mother), followed by opera studies at The New England Conservatory. Professionally, however, he appears to be taking another route altogether. After gigs as a backing vocalist for George Michael and more recently, Yolanda Adams, followed by a successful career as a vocal coach, Abiah is striking out on his own as a jazz and R&B balladeer. His sophomore release, Life as a Ballad, includes nine self-penned songs, with his cousin Robert Glasper providing piano accompaniment, along with guitarists Marvin Sewell, David Rosenthal, and John Shannon; Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Chris Eddleton on drums; with Keith Witty on bass.
Following is the official album trailer:
Abiah takes every opportunity to showcase his extensive vocal range on songs such as “September,” as well as on the title track, which is one of the more polished ballads on the album. On “Doves” he uses Prince’s “When Doves Cry” as the basis for the lyrics, but presents his own smooth jazz oriented version. Overall, this is a satisfying introduction to Abiah’s vocal and songwriting skills, though it feels a bit more like a demo tape to be shopped around than a more fully realized project.
Reviewed by Brenda Nelson-Strauss
November 1st, 2012
Title: Strictly Romancin’
Artist: Catherine Russell
Label: World Village
Formats: CD, MP3
Release date: February 14, 2012
Some vocal jazz is charitably described as “background music.” Other vocal jazz is so experimental it seems to jump forward and grab you by the lapel. Catherine Russell’s Strictly Romancin’ is the perfect medium, not staid but also not too crazy. There is a relaxing, atmospheric quality to this album that transports the listener to a calm joyride through an autumn country side or a quiet cocktail bar in a snow-dusted city, all with a comforting partner by your side.
Like any engaging collection of standards, the real charm of this album is Russell’s well-crafted, yet effortless sounding, phrasing. She languidly drips out bluesy ballads like “Don’t Leave Me,” while more old-timey 1940s classics such as “Satchel Mouth Baby” are modernized, retaining their flirtatious charm throughout.
In the album trailer Russell talks about some of these early “hidden gems” collected from her father, Luis Russell, who was Louis Armstrong’s musical director, and also discusses the influence of her mother, Carline Ray (International Sweethearts of Rhythm), who joins her on the Sister Rosetta Tharpe song, “He’s All I Need”:
Russell has a smooth, clear voice and delivers these standards in a soothingly direct manner, but never crosses the line to theatricality, as is easy to do with a song like “Everybody Loves My Baby.” That song is a great example of everything that works about this record. The brass band is swinging off the charts, with a great raggy piano solo that sounds straight out of the Cotton Club, but Russell’s interesting interpretive choices and phrasing make the song sound both contemporary and like a standard. “Contemporary standards” perfectly defines this expertly produced and accompanied vocal jazz album.
Reviewed by Dorothy Berry
November 1st, 2012
Title/Artist: Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy
Label: Tyscot Records
Formats: CD, MP3
Release date: August 21, 2012
In January 2012, when gospel artist Anthony Brown signed with Tyscot Records, company president Bryant Scott declared in a press release “[Brown is] extremely gifted as a singer, songwriter, producer, director, and playwright, making him a Triple-Threat Plus for the Kingdom of God.” As this self-titled debut album demonstrates, Brown undeniably brings exciting new music to the list of worship songs with his ensemble, Group TherAPy.
From one song to the next, Group TherAPy entertains us with constantly changing musical colors. The title track, “Group Therapy,” elicits a theater and jazz atmosphere, which pleasantly surprises the listener with a new style for worship. Changing the mood completely, the tracks “I Will Be” and “Better Days” will make you move and praise with the church clap style. Ballads like “Water,” “Your Way,” “Beyond Beyond” and “Deep Enough” make us recognize the Group’s vocal skills and Brown’s songwriting abilities. Their sharp, powerful voices will surely reach people’s hearts and bring them to a space of deep prayer. Brown’s lush voice is reminiscent of other contemporary gospel singers such as Donnie McClurkin, Richard Smallwood, Marvin Sapp, and Donald Lawrence. In fact, Smallwood and Lawrence have both mentored Brown, and tracks such as “Harvest Song” seem to reflect their influence.
The project’s first single, “Testimony,” has attracted many worshipers since it was released, and has climbed to 15 on Billboard’s gospel single chart. In the following video from TBN’s Praise the Lord show, Donnie McClurkin, who is a big fan of Brown & Group TherAPy’s music, introduces them to the audience with a strong conviction that their music will facilitate worship:
The capitalized AP in the group’s name, meaning “(God) Answers Prayers,” demonstrates their mission of singing to heal troubled minds with spiritual messages. Indeed, Anthony Brown is a great gospel therapist with brilliant assistants, and it is certain that a number of people will be healed and saved through their music.
Reviewed by Yukari Shinagawa
November 1st, 2012
Title: I’m Alright
Artist: Cornell Dupree
Label: Dialtone Records
Format: CD
Release date: July 10, 2012
I’m Alright is the last recording by legendary funk/jazz guitarist Cornell Dupree, made just eight weeks before he passed away in May, 2011. It is also his first album as leader in 17 years. Although he was suffering from emphysema and breathing with the aid of an oxygen tank at the time of the recording sessions, Dupree never lost his touch and still displays the same impeccable timing and authoritative tone heard on many vintage hits by the likes of Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Brook Benton and Donny Hathaway.
This album, produced by Eddie Stout and Randy Reagan, goes heavy on the blues, but not the leaden sluggish blues of too many guitarist-as-star albums in recent years. Dupree was funky and could be light-fingered, which kept things moving and made his solos interesting. He also had a great jazz sensibility, which kept his music swinging even when he got down and dirty. A highlight is Dupree reprising his famous guitar riffs from Brook Benton’s hit “Rainy Night in Georgia.” Also really nice is a funked up instrumental version of Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and a new take on the old Yardbirds’ hit, “I Ain’t Got You.”
A key to the success of this album is that Dupree played with ace musicians, and everyone sounds like they’re having fun but keeping each other tight and on their game. Kaz Kazanoff’s sax sounds at times like King Curtis, and with Mike Flanigin on organ, Nick Connelly on electric and acoustic piano and B.E. “Frosty” Smith on drums (as well as the three bass players used at various times on the album), they create a comfort zone feel similar to the Atlantic Records studio bands of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The band provides Fort Worth native Dupree with a Texas-shuffle style of blues backing, which is a perfect fit. The sax and keyboard guys are no slouches with their solos, either.
Far from an old man’s fade-out, I’m Alright clearly demonstrates that Cornell Dupree was a super-ace musician up to his dying day. This is a very fine piece of work to leave behind.
Reviewed by Tom Fine
November 1st, 2012
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