Jazz / Soul-Jazz, Hard Bop
Hank Crawford - Sax (Alto), Saxophone
Airto Moreira - Percussion
Al DeRise - Trumpet
Alfred Brown - Viola
Arnaldo DeSouteiro Liner Notes, Reissue Supervisor, Digital Remastering
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie Drums
Bernard Eichen Violin
Bob Ciano Design
Charles McCracken Cello
Cornell Dupree Guitar (Electric), Guitar
Creed Taylor Original Album Producer, Producer
Don Sebesky Arranger, Conductor
Elliott Rosoff Violin
Emanuel Green Violin
Emanuel Vardi Viola
Eric Gale Guitar (Electric), Guitar
Felix Giglio Violin
Gene Orloff Violin
George Ricci Cello
Grover Washington, Jr. Sax (Tenor)
Harold Kohon Violin
Harry Lookofsky Violin
Idris Muhammad Drums
Joseph Malin Violin
Margaret Ross Harp
Max Pollikoff Violin
Pee Wee Ellis Conductor, Arranger
Pepper Adams Sax (Baritone)
Phil Kraus Vibraphone
Richard Tee Organ (Hammond), Piano, Piano (Electric), Organ
Ron Carter Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)
Rudy Van Gelder Engineer
Snooky Young Trumpet
Susumu Morikawa Reissue Producer
Theodore Israel Viola
Wayne Andre Trombone
William Cadge Photography
Help Me Make It Through the Night is one of those Hank Crawford albums: large band, many horns, funky chunky Hammond B-3, strings, and polyrhythms dropping all over the arrangements by Don Sebesky and company. This 1972 set by Crawford is an exemplary portrait of his movin' and groovin' style. With the help of Sebesky and Pee Wee Ellis, Crawford provides the deep groove side of his work without reservation. jazz takes a back seat as the r&b pours forth all sweaty, greasy, and dripping with a raw, honeylike sweetness. With cats like Airto, Eric Gale, Cornell Dupree, Grover Washington, Jr., Pepper Adams, Snooky Young, and Richard Tee in the house, a masterful groove session was to be expected. Listeners get their money's worth after the opener, which is the title track. With the Junior Walker stinging alto countered by the Hammond, the mess is loose and the vibe is pure downtown. Other cuts such as "Imagine," "Go Away Little Girl," "Brian's Song" -- perfect string arrangement by Sebesky -- and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" make this a date of some of the most stellar covers Crawford ever cut. There are no extra notes, but there are plenty of extra beats; the improvisation is red hot, but the strings and supporting rhythm section are out of this world. Help Me Make It Through the Night is indeed one of those Crawford records. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
Hank Crawford
Active Decades: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Dec 21, 1934 in Memphis, TN
Died: Jan 29, 2009 in Memphis, TN
Genre: Jazz
Styles: R&B, Jazz-Funk, Soul-Jazz, Hard Bop, Crossover Jazz
With an unmistakable blues wail, full of emotion and poignancy, altoist Hank Crawford bridges the gap between that tradition and that of jazz more completely than any other living horn player. Born in Memphis, Crawford was steeped in the blues tradition from an early age. He began playing piano but switched to alto when his father brought one home from the army. He claims his early influences as Louis Jordan, Earl Bostic, and Johnny Hodges. Crawford hung out with Phineas Newborn, Jr., Booker Little, and George Coleman in high school. Upon graduating, Crawford played in bands fronted by Ike Turner, B.B. King, Junior Parker, and Bobby "Blue" Bland at Memphis' Palace Theater and Club Paradise. In 1958 Crawford went to college in Nashville where he met Ray Charles. Charles hired Crawford originally as a baritone saxophonist. Crawford switched to alto in 1959 and remained with Charles' band -- becoming its musical director -- until 1963. The phrasing and voicings he learned there proved invaluable to him as the hallmark of his own sound. He also wrote and arranged a tune for Charles. The cut, "Sherry," his first for the band, was put on the Live at Newport album. Crawford cut a slew solo albums for Atlantic while with the band, and when he formed his group, he remained with the label until 1970. He signed with Creed Taylor's Kudu in 1971 and cut a series of fusion-y groove jazz dates through 1982. In 1983 he moved to Milestone and returned to form as a premier arranger, soloist, and composer, writing for small bands -- that included guitarist Melvin Sparks, organist Jimmy McGriff, and Dr. John -- as well as large. Crawford has been constantly active since then, as a leader and sideman, recording the best music of his long career.
---Thom Jurek, All Music Guide |
