Recommended for jazz fans and pimps everywhere.
I thought it appropriate to begin Jazz Week with the record that started me on jazz in the first place. Back in the day, my father used to keep his vinyl collection stashed away in the darkest recesses of the basement. Finding new records for me was like mining - I'd crouch through confined spaces with a flashlight, retrieve whichever albums would strike my fancy at the moment, and eventually emerge dusty and victorious with a handful of wax. Unfortunately, the mining ventures were something of a hit or miss affair - I had never heard of most of the artists in the collection, so my selections were essentially at random. Now and then, my old man would submit to my nagging and peruse the collection himself for a few gems. Blue Mitchell's Blues' Blues (1972) was one of these records.
In retrospect. the album is nothing all that special - just a standard above-average soul/jazz session - but is nonetheless very listenable. Hard bop veteran Mitchell (trumpet, flugelhorn) leads the session featuring such tried and true session veterans as John Mayall (harmonica) and Joe Sample (keys), producing some very solid grooves. Extensive use of the wah pedal makes this a rather funky session, with the tone falling somewhere in the realm of what I refer to as "porn jazz." This is the kind of music that makes you want to don a pair of multi-colored short shorts, tease your hair into an afro, and play some three on three with an ABA ball. Or perhaps strut around with a cane, fur coat, and feathered fedora.
Today's post is the fourth track on the record, "Granite and Concrete." Its straightforward structure and soulful tone are fairly representative of the album as a whole. Note the ever-present wah guitar propelling the track, as well as some nice solos by both Mitchell and Joe Sample on Rhodes (around 6:33). Apologies for the somewhat spotty quality - the mp3 is a vinyl transfer.
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