Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod the Mod finds his solo footing, headed for stardom, with the Faces in his wake.
6:00 AM GMT 22/06/2011
Features Disc of the day
David Newman
Fathead: Ray Charles Presents…
(Atlantic, 1959)
The Genius’s sax man steps out.
Over the years, many fine musicians and good singers passed though the ranks of Ray Charles’s various small bands, large orchestras and versions of the Raelettes, but none of them produced a solo record as eloquent and feelgood as this debut of his then 25-year-old saxophonist. Recorded in the course of one day in November exactly 50 years ago, it’s the sound of the most accomplished R&B/blues small group of the day stretching out in a jazz setting. Consequently, the music evolves organically like a club set, starting solid with Brother Ray’s blues-gospel piano leading in opening track Hard Times. Newman’s alto makes the first solo statement, then Bennie ‘Hank’ Crawford’s baritone, Charles’s piano and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, all the principals introduced in four effortless, light-swinging minutes. Crawford’s Weird Beard is a second jaunty small ensemble jam, but it’s after the ballad Willow Weep For Me, kicked off by Charles’s unexpectedly brisk verse, that Crawford’s second tune, Bill For Bennie, a thrillingly brisk and breezy piece with a terrific final chorus of Newman, Crawford and Belgrave all blowing hard, turns up the heat midset. Sweet Eyes keeps the mid-set fire hot before Newman’s only composition on the album, Fathead. It’s one of those sessions at which all of the players are right on top of their form and playing for each other, egos left in the lobby. To intro his piano solo in the penultimate piece, Mean To Me, Ray pointedly quotes the melody to Makin’ Whoopee. They really were.
Geoff Brown
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 14/11/2008
Further Listening
Hank Crawford – More Soul (Atlantic, 1960)
Mable John – Stay Out Of The Kitchen (Stax, 1966)
Merry Clayton – Gimme Shelter (A&M, 1970)
Previous Disc of the day
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Earl Brutus - Larky
Last salvo of Ginsters Pasty-Warholism from Britpop ramraiders.
12:04 PM GMT 08/06/2011
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Loudon Wainwright - T-Shirt
An overlooked small wonder from an unpredictable career.
6:00 AM GMT 03/06/2011
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Landscape - From The Tea-rooms Of Mars… To The Hell-holes Of Uranus
Dry computer club Futurists, upon hitting implausible chart paydirt.
6:00 AM GMT 17/05/2011
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Causa Sui - Summer Sessions Vol 1-3
Epic Danish jams, for when the neighbours get you down.
6:00 AM GMT 12/05/2011
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