Crate Diggin’: The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Another Voyage

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Aug 292009
 
AnotherVoyage  

If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It (Part 1)
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Do What You Wanna
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Uhuru
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Album: Another Voyage (1969)

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Ramsey Lewis is a bad-ass keys player and you’ve probably never heard of him. With 80 albums and three Grammy Awards to his credit, that’s a crying shame. Don’t feel guilty, though; he’s still touring, and you’ll be blown away by all the progressive music he’s given to the world.

I’m proud to say I have a bunch of Ramsey’s records. I’m trying to remember where I picked up this Crate Diggin’ gem, Another Voyage. I’m pretty sure it was the first Ramsey Lewis record I owned and that it was recommended to me by Cool Chris at San Francisco’s legendary Groove Merchant record store. Living around the block from one of the world’s foremost vinyl palaces wasn’t easy on my wallet. But I have no regrets.

Though the LP is credited to “The Ramsey Lewis Trio,” the other two cats deserve their props. Rhythm sections came and went, but at the time of Another Voyage, Ramsey was playing with some serious talent. Cleveland Eaton remains one of the jazz world’s most revered double bassists and was a member of The Ramsey Lewis Trio from 1966-1974. Maurice White joined Ramsey as his percussionist in 1966; Another Voyage was Maurice’s last album with Ramsey before he created a little outfit called Earth, Wind and Fire.

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Crate Diggin’: A Tribe Called Quest, Beats, Rhymes & Life

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Jul 292009
 
atcq  

Get A Hold
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1nce Again (w/Tammy Lucas)
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Keeping It Moving
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Album: Beats, Rhymes & Life (1996)

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I’ll admit Beats, Rhymes & Life isn’t A Tribe Called Quest’s best album. Of the five original LP’s they released, I’d say it ranks around fourth. So why select this one over Peoples’ Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm, The Low End Theory, or Midnight Marauders?

Like other entries in the Crate Diggin’ feature, Beats, Rhymes & Life is a slept-on LP. Though none of the tracks is among the upper echelon of the Tribe’s best tracks (e.g. “Youthful Expression” “Check The Rhime,” “Electric Relaxation”, the list goes on and on), there are a few gems on Beats, Rhymes & Life that I still enjoy hearing. Ultimately, A Tribe Called Quest’s lesser tracks are still better than most rappers’ greatest hits.

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 Posted by -G. at 11:03 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Crate Diggin’: Rose Royce, In Full Bloom

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Mar 092009
 
rose-royce  

Wishing On A Star
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Do Your Dance
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Album: In Full Bloom (1977)

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About six months ago, the music world lost Norman Whitfield. Whitfield was one of the driving forces behind the Motown label, writing and producing a jaw-dropping litany of hits including “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” “Smiling Faces Sometimes,” and “War (What Is It Good For).” After leaving Motown in the early 70s, Whitfield stole some of the label’s underused assets and started his own eponymous shingle.

Whitfield Records biggest success was the 1976 soundtrack album for Car Wash, with the title track, “I Can’t Get Next To You,” and “I’m Going Down” representing on the singles charts. Their follow-up record, In Full Bloom didn’t include a hit as infectious as “Car Wash,” but still produced a few memorable tracks.

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 Posted by -G. at 6:57 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Crate Diggin’: The Meters, Rejuvenation

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Feb 162009
 
rejuvenation  

People Say
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Just Kissed My Baby
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Africa
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Album: Rejuvenation (1974)

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Though it’s not the most popular of The Meters’ records (I would guess it’s a tossup between Look-Ka Py Py and Fire On The Bayou), 1974′s Rejuvenation captures the transition from The Meters’ early, tight funk days to their later, jam-band incarnation.

Though The Meters haven’t released a studio album in the past 30 years, they continue to tour with some permutation of the original lineup. I’ve had the privilege of seeing them live on many occasions during the mid-1990s, and it is impossible not to seriously get down at a Meters show.

Though my perception of The Meters is rooted in their live performances, that’s a limited perspective, and there is no greater testament to this than the volumes of artists who have recorded with, covered, or sampled The Meters over the years: Paul McCartney, Labelle (The Meters were the studio band for “Lady Marmalade”), The Grateful Dead, A Tribe Called Quest, and many others.

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 Posted by -G. at 10:10 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Crate Diggin’: Cody Chesnutt, The Headphone Masterpiece

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Jan 202009
 
theheadphonemasterpiece  

Smoke And Love
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The Seed (Rock N’ Roll)
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Blackman vs. Batman
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Album: The Headphone Masterpiece (Promo, 2002)

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Back in 2002, I had a standing DJ gig at the Hudson Hotel in NYC. It was probably the highlight of my short, professional DJ career. The hotel was hipster central, I could play whatever I wanted, and I met tons of beautiful people. I even got a hug from Ed Lover.

Every once in a while, some hustling musician would try to slip me a CD in the hopes I would play one of their songs. I am kind of a purist about vinyl, so even though the Hudson provided CD players along with turntables, I politely gave him or her a thanks but no thanks.

One memorable evening, some dude graciously gave me the LP you see above. He was cool and laid-back, suggesting I should listen to it at home, preferably with headphones. The record looked totally ghetto, with a partially hand-written label. The cover was a standard white cover sleeve with an ugly pink/aqua textured spoke pattern. (Click on the image above to see it in gruesome detail.)

But I liked the dude’s low-key style, and gave The Headphone Masterpiece a listen. What I think was intended as the single was eh, but there were a couple of tracks on the B-side that had woozy, appealing charisma and catchy melodies. The recording quality was lousy, but I think that was by design. Cody Chesnutt (though I’m amused by the spelling, I’m not buying into the alt punctuation… ChesnuTT?) wasn’t quite fully formed, but he was original.

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 Posted by -G. at 6:03 am  Tagged with: , , , ,
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