  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 4.100 Ft
|
|
| 1. | My Problems Got Problems
|
| 2. | The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
|
| 3. | Save Mother Earth
|
| 4. | Imagine
|
| 5. | Welcome to the Basement
|
| 6. | Man-Child
|
| 7. | After Midnight
|
| 8. | Expressway to Your Heart
|
| 9. | Soul Roach
|
| 10. | Benedict Rides
|
| 11. | System
|
| 12. | Lonely Avenue
|
Jazz
Merl Saunders - Arp, Clavinet, Keyboards, Organ, Performer, Piano (Electric), Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Bill Kruetzman - Drums
Bill Vitt - Drums
Carole Hawkins - Vocals (Background)
Chris Parker - Drums
Chuck Rainey - Guitar
Eddie Moore - Drums, Saw
Edwin Hawkins - Vocals (Background)
Freddie Hawkins - Vocals (Background)
Gaylord Birch - Conga
Hawkins Singers - , Vocals (Background)
Jerry Garcia - Guitar, Vocals
John Kahn - Bass, Guitar (Bass), Piano (Electric)
Kenneth Nash - Percussion
Lynette Hawkins-Stephens - Vocals (Background)
Michael Howell - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm)
Tom Fogerty - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Producer, Vocals (Background)
Tower of Power Horn Section
Tramaine Hawkins - Vocals (Background)
Walter Hawkins - Vocals (Background)
* Brian Gardner - Engineer
* Eddie Harris - Assistant Engineer
* Jamie Putnam - Design
* Phil Carroll - Art Direction
* Phil DeLancie - Remastering
* Tony Lane - Photography
This reissue set combines the two early Merl Saunders albums on Fantasy, Fire Up and Heavy Turbulence. The content of these original albums is almost there in its entirety and nothing new and previously unreleased is added to the stash. "Chock-Lite Puddin'" is the single missing pearl, representing quite a severe mistake in editing, as this was not a marble for playing with. A better tune to experience the fall of the axe would have been one of several covers with a faded '70s presence that is a bit like day-old cigarette smoke. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" could have been left out, please, that or "After Midnight," although the latter number was an FM airplay hit at the time of its initial release. To be fair, the vocal work of Saunders on the former number is actually formidable, as are his interesting organ variations on the theme. Listeners may associate the collective jams of Saunders in various ensembles with Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia as friendly but loose-knit music created casually, the tempo sometimes the most casual aspect of all. Yet these early albums were much more like a real band than the efforts of some ensembles who actually call themselves bands -- it is a lot tighter than a Grateful Dead record, for example. The players involved actually represented a coming together of musical forces that was every bit as significant as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. In fact, the merging of the Grateful Dead and Creedence Clearwater Revival with a seasoned jazz and rhythm & blues organist had great musical implications that are fulfilled, from time to time, on the best moments of these sessions, such as the truly thrilling extended jam "Manchild." For Garcia, simply playing alongside a rhythm guitarist who could keep time must have been something of a revelation. Much of the time the players don't try to change the world while keeping the beat, settling into enjoyably funky music designed by Saunders and clearly expressing his gestalt: "My Problems Got Problems" is the opening complaint, "Soul Roach" the eventual cure. Garcia fans can be proud of their man here, as his playing is sharp and detailed, obviously inspired by the input from his keyboard buddy.
---Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide
Merl Saunders
Active Decades: '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Feb 14, 1934 in San Mateo, CA
Died: Oct 24, 2008 in San Francisco, CA
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Country-Rock, World Fusion, Folk-Rock
Hammond B-3 player Merl Saunders has recorded with numerous renowned artists since the early '70s and has led many of his own dates in a variety of genres from jazz to blues to new age to rock. Born on Valentine's Day, 1934 in San Mateo, CA, Saunders began learning to play the piano at the age of 10. He was a classmate and bandmate of Johnny Mathis through junior high school. Saunders decided on music as a profession after seeing how much fun was had by audience and performers alike at concerts by such musicians as Cab Calloway. He apprenticed early on with Jimmy Smith for a time, and attended various music schools. Starting in the 1960s, Saunders collaborated on and off with Jerry Garcia, and the Grateful Dead. He also began working as a jazz keyboardist in the early '70s, and since has performed and recorded with Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt and Paul Butterfield. One of his several albums with Jerry Garcia, Blues From the Rainforest, hit the Top 5 of the U.S. Billboard New Age charts in the early '90s. Saunders runs his own label, Sumertone, which includes much of his catalogue, as does the Fantasy label. In 1998, Saunders released his 20th album as a leader, Merl Saunders With His Funky Friends: Live! (Sumertone), which includes guests Garcia, John Popper (of Blues Travelers) and Trey Anastasio (of Phish). In addition to his active touring schedule, the San Franciscan has also written scores for TV and movies, including Tales From The Crypt, Twilight Zone, Heavy Traffic and Fritz The Cat. In early 2000, Merl Saunders became the first recipient of the lifetime activist award from a Florida environmentalist group for his environmental activism that goes beyond just the titles of albums like Save the Planet So We'll Have Someplace to Boogie and Blues from the Rainforest. Later that fall, Saunders released Struggling Man in November.
---Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
