While “Mardi Gras” is probably Bob James most sampled, track, “Nautilus” is right up there with it. This post looks at a Record Store Day, 2020, re-issue of the classic track. If you missed, or were not lucky enough to win one of the test pressing that Evo gave away in social media competitions, it’s unlikely you’ll see one of […]
Happy Born Day – Chet Baker
Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988, Age 58) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations within the cool jazz subgenre leading him to be nicknamed the “prince of cool”. I have to admit, that while I know many of Chet recordings, I know very little about the man. […]
The Grover Washington Birthday Playlist
Playlist and notes for Happy Born Day: Grover Washington, Jr. – Creed Taylor Produced (ctproduced.com) # Title Artist Notes Time 1 Who Is Sylvia Johnny Hammond Recorded just a month after Grover’s “Inner City Blues” album, and before the album was released, Washington was again sideman to Hammond for his 2nd KUDU album “Johnny Hammond – Wild Horses Rock Steady […]
Happy Born Day: Grover Washington, Jr.
Unusually, I have two audio tracks to celebrate Grover Washington’s birthday. A full mix of tracks that Grover played on, I tried to pick less well known tracks rather than the GWJ classics. At the end of the post is retrospective by Christian McBride, show host of WBGO Jazz 88.3FM‘s JazzNight, and fantastic bass player himself. PRESS PLAY AND READ […]
The Creed Taylor Christmas Album
Press play and read on. The Missing Specialty Recordings album? I’ve always respected the fact that there was never a CTI Christmas album… or “holiday special”. Given the 1978 bankruptcy, it would have been easy money to have send a few talented musicians over to Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in New Jersey and get them to record some holiday classics. […]
CTI Enters Chapter XI Bankruptcy
“I’d rather laugh with the sinners, Than cry with the saints; The sinners are much more fun, You know that only the good die young” Billy Joel, Only The Good Die Young, 1978. On Saturday December 9th, 1978, Creed Taylor Inc. was listed in the New York Times financial section as applying for Chapter-11 bankruptcy protection. There, right above the […]
Happy Birthday, Hubert Laws
Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is one of the most pervasive, and impressive artists to appear on Creed Taylor, CTI productions. While others, notably Bob James, Don Sebesky, and Dave Matthews through their arrangements had a bigger impact on the overall sound; and George Benson, Grover Washington, Jr, Esther Phillips, Bob James as a performer, became bigger stars and […]
CT 509
CT 509 Van Lingle Mongo – Dave Frishberg Side A: Van Lingle Mungo (2:45)Side B: Nasty Nasty Habit (2:25)(from Oklahoma Toad)Dave FrishbergIssues: CTI CT 509 [45]Master No.: CT 509 A/CT 509 BRecorded: Prob. late 1969. Associated Recording Studios in New York; CTI release re-engineered and overdubbed by Rudy Van Gelder, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.Released: Prob. August 15th, 1970; runout etchings on […]
CT 1000 – The “popular” label
This post is an outgrowth of a lot of material written originally for a review of Dave Frishberg’s Oaklahoma Toad album. It will be updated over time. Doug Payne says of this early CTI period: Creed Taylor left the auspices of A & M to initiate CTI as an independent entity in May 1970. This little known part of CTI’s history spanned […]
Oklahoma Toad – Dave Frishberg
CTI 1004 – Oklahoma Toad – Dave Frishberg Herb Alpert, in one of his interviews with Dr. David Schroeder, in the NYU Steinhardt Jazz Studies series, said: Masters used to be floating around in the Sixties, someone would record a group, they’d play it for you and if you liked it, you could bring it into the company for distribution. […]