George Benson - Body Talk

Year : 1973
Label : CTI
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Soul Jazz

"Body Talk" is a Soul Jazz album including the heavy Funk expressions of James Brown's groove featuring associated guitarist Earl Klugh, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Jack DeJohnette & pianist Harold Mabern, all conducted by the leader of the James Brown revue, Pee Wee Ellis. Titles include pure Funk/Soul tracks arranged by Pee Wee Ellis (the opening song "Dance", "Plum" & the title-track), the Soulful song by Donny Hattaway's "When Love Has Grown" and the climax "Top Of The World". All tracks composed by George Benson except the one mentioned produced by Creed Taylor, recorded at studio Rudy Van Gelder. 

MUSICIANS : George Benson, Earl Klugh - guitar - Ron Carter,  Gary King  - bass - Jack DeJohnette - drums - Harold Mabern - electric piano - Mobutu - percussion - Frank Foster - tenor saxophone - Dick Griffin, Gerard Chamberlain - trombone - John Gatchell, Jon Faddis, Waymon Reed - trumpet, flugelhorn

Mongo Santamaria - Up From The Roots

Year : 1972

Label : Atlantic

Genre : Latin Jazz

Style : Afro-Cuban Jazz

 

One of the main actor to the success of Afro-Cuban Jazz in the US with the standard "Afro-Blue" popularized by John Coltrane, Mongo Santamaria was also known as a major figure of fusion between latin beat and Soul music. "Up From the Roots", thirty years after his first work as a leader, is an ode to cuban percussions exploring the African roots of Caribbean music including various dances and songs from Guaguanco (En La Habana) to Mambo (Conga, Bata, Y Chequere) and Rumba (Me Buele La Muele). Titles include also typical Afro-Cuban Jazz track "Para Ti" and the funky "Jose Outside". It features Carter Jefferson & Bill Saxon (sax), Lew Soloff & Jon Faddis (tp), Eddy Martinez (p) - Eddie Rivera (b), Steve Barrios (ds).

Deodato - Deodato 2

Year : 1973
Label : CTI
Genre : Jazz, Latin
Style : Jazz Rock, Fusion

"Deodato 2" is a jazz-rock masterpiece by Brazilian jazz pianist and arranger Eumir Deodato. It features iconic musicians from the american fusion scene including John Tropea on electric guitar, Stanley Clarke on bass, Billy Cobham on drums and Brazilian percussionist Rubens Bassini, surrounded by solid horn section with Hubert Laws (flute), John Faddis (trumpet) or Wayne Andre (trombone) among others. The album opens of amazing variation on progressive rock standard "Nights In White Satin" by The Moody Blues, including an insane guitar solo by John Tropea at his top of his game. Other titles include the Deodato's classics "Skyscrapers" (with the virtuoso bass line by Stanley Clarke) & "Super Strut", a funky version of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue", and the wistful song "Pavane For A Dead Princess" from french classical composer Maurice Ravel. 

Deodato - Whirlwinds

Year : 1974

Label : MCA

Genre : Jazz, Latin

Style : Jazz Funk, Latin Jazz

Eumir Deodato is a brazilian jazz pianist, popular producer and arranger since the 1960s, as well as in Jazz, Pop and R&B, collaborating with the greatest worldwide artists including Antonio Carlos Jobim, Marcos Valle, Astrud Gilberto, Wes Montgomery, Kool & The Gang or more recently Björk. "Whirlwinds" is his first recording for MCA after the critically acclaimed albums "Prelude" and "Deodato 2" both released on CTI records, featuring Billy Cobham (ds), John Tropea (eg), John Faddis (tp) and Ruben Bassini (percussion). The album is on the same Jazz Funk line than his previous albums, revisiting classical music (Ave Maria),  jazz standard (Moonlight Serenade) and rock "Do It Again" but also offers original compositions including the tropical funk "Havana Strut", "West 42nd Street" and "Whirlwinds" also known as "Tropea" spotlighting the guitarist.

O'Donel Levy - Simba

Year : 1973

Label : Groove Merchant

Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Funk

Rare  groove cult LP by jazz fusion guitarist O'Donel Levy composed in association with saxophonist, arranger Manny Albam  and featuring Steve Gadd, John Faddis, Eddie Daniels, the soilists Burt Collins &  Cecil Bridgewater. Titles include the wellknown Bad, Bad, Simba which appears on many compilations as the Pulp Fusion series and the incredible highly funky Playhouse with the unleashed solo flute of Daniels. All tracks arranged by Manny Albam and produced by Sonny Lester.

O'Donel Levy_guitar

Tony Levin_bass

Steve Gadd_drums 

Warren Bernhardt_keyboards 

Eddie Daniels_flute, piccolo flute, saxophone 

Bill Watrous_trombone 

Alan Rubin, Burt Collins, Cecil Bridgewater & Lew Soloff_flugelhorn

Burt Collins, Ernie Royal, Jon Faddis & Lew Soloff_trumpet

Jim Madison_percussion

01. Bad, Bad, Simba
02. Kilimanjaro Cookout
03. Playhouse
04. Sierra Lonely
05. Sad, Sad, Simba
06. Joni
07. Nigerian Knights

Ron Carter - Empire Jazz

Year : 1980
Label : RSO
Genre : Jazz
Style : Contempory Jazz

Revealed and recruited by Miles Davis for his second great quintet from 1963 to 1968, alongside Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams, Ron Carter has more than 2500 albums to his credit, recorded all over the world. Empire Jazz is the music adaptation of the Original Soundtrack from the Motion Pictures Star Wars & The Empire Strikes Back, composed by John Williams, and also his "most wanted" LP. Ron Carter is surrounded by various renowned CTI musicians among Billy Cobham, Hubert Laws, Bob James or Ralph MacDonald, all supported by the FOX fanfare. Titles include the most popular themes of Star Wars as the Darth Vader's theme or Love Theme, and a Bossa variation of The Asteroid Field with beautiful orchestration & the arrangements of Ron Carter.

Ron Carter_bass
Billy Cobham_drums
Jay Berliner_guitar
Hubert Laws_flute
Ralph MacDonald_percussion
Bob James_piano
Frank Wess_saxophone
Eddie Bert_trombone
Joe Shepley & Jon Faddis_trumpet, flugelhorn

01. The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)
02. The Asteroid Field
03. Han Solo & The Princess (Love Theme)
04. Lando's Palace
05. Yoda's Theme

LISTEN SAMPLE