Catchin' up...
Barney Kessel & Friends - Barney Plays Kessel (Concord Jazz LP, 1975) All Kessel compositions. The friends include Victor Feldman, Jake Hanna, Milt Holland and Jimmy Rowles.
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (Tamla LP, 1971) IMHO one of the few truly great *albums* - as unified works of art - to have been done in the medium (any genre), plus one of the most original.
Kenny Burrell - God Bless The Child (CTI LP, 1971) One of my favorite jazz guitarists, he's the antithesis of pro forma flash. With Ron Carter b., Billy Cobham d., Freddie Hubbard t., Hubert Laws f., Ray Barretto and Airto Moreira pc., Don Sebesky string arr.
Victor Feldman - ...Plays Everything In Sight (Pacific Jazz LP, mid-60's) British-born LA session stalwart is credited with 20 different instruments in this one-man show of lightweight upbeat instros.
Ramsey Lewis Trio - Another Voyage (Cadet LP, 1969) The latter-day version of the Trio with Maurice White d. and Cleveland Eaton b., plus Phil Upchurch g. I probably own between 20-30 of this guy's records. While some may not consider the popular piano trio cats like Lewis, McCann, Jamal, Bryant, etc. to be 'real' jazz artists, I defy them to stay seated when this combo in its prime starts to swinging the hits. This very fine acoustic/electric set is toward the end of the really meaty part of his run. BTW, I saw Ramsey live and acoustic around 1990, and he's actually a monster pianist and musician, pop hits or no, with a wider range then he generally showed off back in the day.
The Four Seasons - Genuine Imitation Life Gazette (Philips LP, 1969) The group's last album, they probably seemed an anachronism by this time. But the humorously entertaining double-gatefold jacket does the faux newspaper concept 3 years before Tull's "Brick", while the graphics and mock-topical 'articles' mixed among the lyrics are chocked with self-deprecating inside jokes. The music's trendily rococo psych-pop montage is influenced by the likes of The Hollies, The Association, The Cyrkle, and The Left Banke - certainly a far cry from their falsetto, neo-doo-wop take on Brill Building pop of a few years earlier, if not as distinctive, catchy, or hit-bound.
Dr. Feelgood - Malpractice (Columbia LP, 1975) The original lineup with Wilko Johnson on guitar, at their peak on their second album. Among the hardest-edged of the so-called 'pub-rock' British roots rockers of the era: driving, single-minded, revved-up rhythm & blues.
Flamin Groovies - Teenage Head (Buddha expanded reissue 1999 CD, orig. 1971) The apotheosis of their 'American Stones' period (think "Banquet" thru "Exile"), before original vocalist Roy Loney (who came off as more of a cross between early Elvis and Them-era Van Morrison than Jagger) split from the group. The bonus tracks are raw-sounding cover jams, spotty fun but nonessential, and should be programmed-out for maximum effect when playing the powerhouse 9-song album proper, which triumphs despite its inherent derivative-ness due to the timeless combination of great rocking performances of great rock and roll songs, simple as that.
Johnny Carroll - Rock Baby, Rock It (compilation, Bear Family import CD, 1996; Warner Bros, Decca, and Sun singles and unreleased outtakes orig. rec. 1956-60) Texas rockabilly wildman in the mold of Elvis and Gene Vincent was one of the best of the genre, but like literally hundreds of others never scored a national hit (top barn-burner "Wild Wild Women" has often been included on VA comps). The usual fantastic Bear Family job of providing excellent sound and annotation.
Simon & Garfunkel - Live From New York City, 1967 (Columbia/Legacy CD, 2002) Two voices, one guitar, 19 stone-classic songs (possibly give or take one or two), boatloads of offhand-seeming but jaw-droppingly precocious talent, and a perfect performance, topped with wonderful concert hall sound. Both intimate and grand, timeless yet profoundly evocative of a particular moment in time, this precious artifact is revelatory and compulsory for anyone calling themselves a fan.
