Category Archives: Jazz

Love Satellite.

Thursday: September 17, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz, Soul Leave a comment

Artist: Ronnie Foster
Title: Love Satellite
Year: 1978
Label: Columbia
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Solid LP from the talented keyboardist/pianist/organist Ronnie Foster. This album represents his style post-Blue Note. Sonically, this is where his sound took off I would say…he really began experimenting with synthesizers, exploring a crisp sound, and including more vocals into his work. He was very successful with this release, Love Satellite. Foster is really good friends with Stevie Wonder, and he contributed to the production of this record, along with other great studio musicians such as drummer Harvey Mason. They all come together to create a great sound here, have a listen…

Check out the sound!

Love Satellite

Happy Song

Design
I’m always a fan of a pre-photoshop image manipulation of some sort. This cover was created in 1978, notice the overlay technique of the profile shot, versus the straight-forward shot. Simple, but very graphic! The cream border is a nice elegant touch, and the wide typeface living within it jives nicely. This is an effective cover, and there’s something about it suggesting speed, or some sort of sonic sound (maybe that’s just me).

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Additional info on Ronnie Foster

Wasted.

Wednesday: September 9, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Jazz, Soul Leave a comment

Artist: The Gaturs
Title: Wasted
Year: 1970
Label: Gaturs Records
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.75/5.0

Front Cover

Review
The Gaturs are one of the best unheard-of funk groups in music history, representing the very strong New Orleans funk scene of the 70′s. They didn’t sound like the other artists and bands who came out of that same scene, legends like The Meters and Allan Toussaint just to name a couple. But The Gaturs held their own…their funk sound is HEAVY, RICH, and deeply rooted in the bayou funk style. This album is their only full LP, which makes it that much more special. Truly, a lost gem and one of my favorite records to date…

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Cold Bear

Gator Bait

Concentrate

Man That I Am

Design
This cover isn’t the greatest, however, it has that raw, gritty look and feel that appeals to me for some odd reason. The photo here is an “in-the-moment” capture of the group performing live, and that energy just travels directly through to whoever is interacting with the cover. The bold “Gaturs” logo is also a bit rough around the edges, but still has a dominant presence and really owns the 12″ x 12″ canvas. Something about it, I can dig…

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Additional info on The Gaturs

Places And Spaces.

Thursday: August 6, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz 3 Comments

Artist: Donald Byrd
Title: Places And Spaces
Year: 1975
Label: Blue Note
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Places And Spaces is one of Donald Byrd’s best albums. Although during the time of its release (1975), some of his followers were not happy with this commercial attempt. They were used to traditional jazz from Byrd. However, the Mizell Brothers produced this album to a T…it’s waaaay ahead of its time! This record has a really dreamy sound to it, probably because of the spacey vocals, but it helps add to the perfected laying technique that the Mizell brothers are known for. Beautiful arrangements on this one, check it out…

Check out the sound!

Wind Parade

(Fallin’ Like) Dominoes

You And Music

Design
This is a really nice photographic album cover. Very strong in it’s use of the grid, along with the repeated imagery paced with random shots of the sky. The black backdrop helps to ground this piece as a whole, visually keeps it all together. I’m on the fence about the vertical type treatment, as well as it being repeated…but I do like the use of a very thin typeface, helps keep the pictures as the focal point. (Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing)…

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Additional info on Donald Byrd

The Meters.

Tuesday: July 21, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Jazz 2 Comments

Artist: The Meters
Title: The Meters
Year: 1969
Label: Josie
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.75/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Another banger from “The Meters”! This being their first studio release, the self-titled masterpiece. Again, a defined sound that was their own, no other funk band could nail the sound that they created…this album dropped jaws in 1969 (I’m told). Deep, gritty bayou funk that speaks for itself. VERY hard album to come by, expensive, but worth EVERY dollar. Check out some of my other posts on “The Meters” lp’s as well, to see exactly how dope these cats are…

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Cissy Strut

Here Comes The Meter Man

Cardova

Live Wire

Design
This is a hot cover, composed antique meters, poorly lit, but I think that may have been intentional. It’s great though, straight-forward in approach and simple in concept. Average typography, but the image is strong enough that it overshadows my slight anger towards the type lol!

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Additional info on The Meters

Kool & The Gang.

Thursday: June 25, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Jazz Leave a comment

Artist: Kool & The Gang
Title: Kool & The Gang
Year: 1969
Label: De-Lite
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.75/5.0

Front Cover

Review
This is Kool & The Gang’s first album, the self-titled release was a very groundbreaking piece of work which was the foundation that would later cement these guys as one of the best, most influential funk bands of our time. Straight out of Jersey City, NJ…they defined their own style and sound of music, and produced it to the maximum level.

This album is significant in that it shows the groups versatility from the jump, providing jazz, soul, and hardcore funk tunes that make this LP almost flawless. The guitars, horns, and drums are all on point, not lacking in either category. Enjoy this masterpiece…

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Let The Music Take Your Mind

Kool’s Back Again

Breeze & Soul

Give It Up

Design
This cover is bad@ss. BOTTOM LINE. This is exactly the type of cover that solidifies your arrival into the music business. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy…just a gritty picture of the group in their neighborhood/environment, it smells of the late 60′s inner city…I LOVE IT! A nice desaturated duotone (maybe tritone) finish to the photo, framed into a basic maroon-painted background, with very simple, almost default type at the top. No smiles on their faces, these guys want you to take them seriously…and their music here definitely backs that up. Easily one of my favorite covers all-time.

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Additional info on Kool & The Gang

Good Times.

Wednesday: June 24, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Jazz 1 Comment

Artist: Kool & The Gang
Title: Good Times
Year: 1972
Label: De-Lite
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front Cover

Review
For those that don’t know, prior to being a household name, and a commercial success…Kool & The Gang were hardcore underground funk musicians. This Good Times LP will give you a sense as to how gritty their earlier sound was, which is definitely the sound that I prefer from them. Robert “Kool” Bell is the leader of the group, he plays the bass guitar, and without a doubt his bass reigns supreme in the overall texture of the music, along with the sax (which is played by his younger brother Ronald Bell). These guys defined their own style, and paved the way for many funk bands that followed. Listen to how these guys communicate with each other through music—OH! and be sure to check out the way that the guitarist works the wah-wah on “Rated X”. Enjoy…

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Good Times

Rated X

North, South, East, West

Design
Beautiful cover. The illustrations of the band members interlaced through the typography creates a very strong and interesting composition. Each member with an instrument associated with them, and some type of expression adds to this piece as well. The type is very bold and up front, which I like a lot, it’s commanding the foreground creating hierarchy amongst the various pieces. I’m also digging the western style font here, I don’t see that too often on any of my other record covers.

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Additional info on Kool & The Gang

Ball Of Eyes.

Friday: June 5, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz 4 Comments

Artist: Placebo
Title: Ball Of Eyes
Year: 1971
Label: CBS
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Placebo was a European jazz group lead by keyboardist Marc Moulin. I like this album because of the vibe quite simply…HORNY horns, and HEAVY bass involved in a major way, working extremely well with the beautiful sound of Moulin’s keyboard expertise. The writing of the music is on point, and the way it’s all arranged is masterful. This one is for the Friday zone out. Enjoy…

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Humpty Dumpty

Inner City Blues

Design
Kind of a creepy cover, it’s exactly what the album title states that it is, a ball of eyes. It’s simplicity wins, basic type, abstract object on a plain backdrop…love it or leave it basically. But any digger who comes across this record is picking it up, why? Because the cover design is appealing, usually that means that the music will be appealing.

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Additional info on Placebo

Adams Apple.

Monday: May 4, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz Leave a comment

Artist: Doug Carn
Title: Adams Apple
Year: 1974
Label: Black Jazz
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Probably Doug’s best album here…energy through the roof, a nice fusion of jazz and vocals done the right way. Doug gets down on the organ, electric piano, and the moog with this album. This is probably one of his more soulful releases as well, but I think that’s one of the things that puts this LP over the top…its ability to capture two to three genres of music successfullyin each of the tracks. Enjoy the tunes, this ones a treat…

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Higher Ground

Adams Apple

Sweet Season

Design
The cover is pretty cool, although I’m not quite sure why there is a 3-D glasses effect applied to the image. I dont see what that has to do with the title Adams Apple, but Carn was a pretty deep guy, so I’m sure he had his reasons. The dope part is that the three images are all Doug Carn, but in different stages of life (from younger to older). The way they captured that with the same clothing is pretty cool. Small thing, but I believe that this was the only white cover that Black Jazz records ever produced for Carn, it stands out against his other records musically and visually as well.

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Additional info on Doug Carn

Two Headed Freap.

Tuesday: April 21, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz 2 Comments

Artist: Ronnie Foster
Title: Two Headed Freap
Year: 1972
Label: Blue Note
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 3.5/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Ronnie Foster’s very first LP, and a pretty solid release. He was 22 at the time, young, zealous, energetic…and, for lack of a better word, FUNKY with his organ! Jazz lovers can appreciate this album, the instrumentation is on point, but what I love the most about the music on this album are the imperfections in some of the sessions. Upon detailed listening, one can notice the drummers timing mistakes (which end up actually sounding hot), in fact, a lot of producers today intentionally program their drums with a bit of lag on them for that live effect. Improvisation is spread throughout this record, nicely…everybody loves the surprises of improv, great musicians feeding off of the vibe of other talented musicians, it’s a beautiful thing. “Mystic Brew” and “Chunky” are the bangers on this one. Enjoy…

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Mystic Brew

Chunky

Design
Granted that this is a huge close up of Ronnie Foster, I really dig this album cover. The typography running sideways down the middle of the cover is a nice touch. Having a purple border framing the photo is hot, but also a nice way to get the album to stand out considering that most jazz musicians weren’t plopping purple borders on their album covers. Anyway, a simple, but bold cover. Two thumbs up.

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Additional info on Ronnie Foster

Feelings.

Wednesday: March 25, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Funk, Jazz 1 Comment

Artist: Stefano Torossi (uses the alias Jay Richford & Gary Stevan)
Title: Feelings (Italian Release)
Year: 1975
Label: Carosello
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front Cover

Review
I’m not generally a fan of library records, but when I came across this and gave it a listen…I made a MAJOR exception. This one is titled Feelings, compiled of a bunch of songs that evoke moods and feelings through dynamic instrumentation. Stefano Torossi is the creator, however, this Italian release of the record credits Jay Richford & Gary Stevan on the front cover. I always find it amazing how some musicians create altar egos (kinda like super hero’s), to further the point that it’s about the music, not about them individually. Anyway, Torossi puts together a top-notch collection of funk grooves, breaks, and movie soundtrack material with this release. There are 10 songs total on the LP, of that 10, I’d say that 5 of them are solid classics, the others are good but not great. I’ve posted my favorites, have a listen and let me know what you think. The tracks have a decent amount of dope change-ups, so try to listen to the full stream.

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Fearing Much

Running Fast

Feeling Tense

Fighting For Life

Design
I like this cover a lot, however, the legibility of the typography is a major concern of mine. You can barely see/read it! The white type blends into the already busy and heavily contrasted background. But the overall idea to use the alias might be why the design is hard to read, maybe it’s intended to be illegible, just a thought. Otherwise, the subject matter is hot, the setting is hot, and the font that was used here is hot. That font was used a lot in the 70′s on album covers…it always works for me.

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Additional info on Stefano Torossi

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