Al Green
Love And Happiness
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I’m Still In Love With You (1972)

Monty Alexander
Love And Happiness
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Rass (1974)

Jurassic 5
Baby Please
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Feedback (2006)

Al Green’s “Love And Happiness” is one of those tunes that’s loved by all. Enjoy the original, and consider adding a couple of clever reinterpretations to your MP3 collection.

Al owned the R&B charts in 1972, releasing two terrific LPs: I’m Still In Love With You and Let’s Stay Together. Al had so many hits in the early 70s that “Love And Happiness” wasn’t even released as a single. Bonkers.

Jamaican jazz organist Monty Alexander covered “Love And Happiness” a couple of years after its release. Ernest Ranglin’s rhythm guitar provides a subtle reggae backdrop for epic solos from Monty and guitarist “Trini” Clarence Wears.

“Love And Happiness” must have been massive in Jamaica; check out Al Brown’s full-on reggae version, also from 1974:

Jurassic 5 chopped up Al Green’s original “Love And Happiness” and reassembled it into an entirely different thing. The double-time rapping from MCs Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even, and Chali 2na complement Exile’s bouncy production and DJ Nu-Mark’s razor-sharp scratching.

“Love And Happiness” has been covered by everyone from pop-jazz sax player David Sanborn to disco queens First Choice to this pretty awful house version. There seems to be a version of “Love And Happiness” to satisfy any musical taste.

Lady Day And John Coltrane
Pieces Of A Man (1971)
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Did You Hear What They Said?
Free Will (1972)
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Winter In America (Solo Version)
Recorded in 1978
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Back Home (w/Brian Jackson)
Winter In America (1974)
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I’ve been listening to Gil Scott-Heron’s music consistently for decades. I own about eight of his LPs, and have been on the hunt for at least two others. His recent passing merits a proper tribute.

Gil’s music was a gumbo of jazz, blues, R&B, and spoken word — Gil called it “bluesology, the science of how things feel.” He had a gift for melody and was among the most evocative lyricists that emerged from the civil rights movement. I don’t consider Gil to be a great album artist — there are many intolerable tracks in his repertoire  — but when the music, lyrics, and personnel clicked (usually when Brian Jackson was involved), the impact was super powerful.

I remember going to see Gil at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland circa 1998. I am almost sure Brian Jackson performed with him that night (which rarely happened post-1980), but the Internet has not been forthcoming with corroboration. Gil wasn’t all there but it didn’t take more than a few songs for him to find his equilibrium. His voice had become hoarse, yet was no less emotive. I had hoped to see him perform again, but he seldom performed in his later years due to substance abuse and related incarcerations.

Rather than replicate a greatest hits collection, I tried to pick tracks that capture some of the emotions that have coursed through me as I contemplate Gil’s life and career.

“Lady Day And John Coltrane” was one of Gil’s early singles, and speaks to the transcendent power of music. It’s fitting that Gil selected Billie Holiday and John Coltrane as the song’s symbols; all three pushed the boundaries of jazz by combining the personal with the radical. All three also struggled with substance abuse, and Gil’s lyrics could apply to both music or to getting high: “They’ll wash your troubles, your troubles away…”

“Did You Hear What They Said?” was written in reaction to the Vietnam War, but is a timeless dirge about losing a child on a faraway battlefield. Gil’s use of melisma highlights the agony, and creates an emotional analogue with the song’s key phrase: “This can’t be real.”

“Winter In America” is one of Gil’s most lyrically ambitious songs. Originally released in 1974, it grieves the loss of forceful, idealistic civil right leaders and hippie optimism. This elegiac solo version was recorded in 1978 — America still hadn’t thawed out in the four years since the original was released.

Despite purchasing the Winter In America LP sometime in the 1990s, I only clued into the near-perfect “Back Home” a few months ago. It has a catchy, singalong melody that belies its yearning for a simpler time. It’s poetic that “Back Home” would be the Gil track I’d be grooving on at the time of his death: “I gotta get back to see my people, someday and someway.”

Cochise
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North Carolina
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Get Yourself Together
(w/Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
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Album: Live At Montreux
Released in 1973

I’ve always dug Les McCann, and when I found this Live At Montreux double LP in a local record store ($5, near mint), I knew it would be quality.

The Montreux Jazz Festival is Switzerland’s prestigious annual event on stunning Lake Geneva. In recent years, Montreux has drifted a bit off brand; for its 44th season, jazz greats such as Coolio, Arcade Fire, and Ricky Martin are on the programme. (To be fair, actual jazz greats such as George Benson, Diana Krall, and Herbie Hancock are also on the bill.)

Les McCann’s Live At Montreux was recorded during an earlier, purer incarnation of the festival, in 1972. Les was already a legend at Montreux — and Switzerland in general — because he had released a hit live album from the festival, 1969′s Swiss Movement.

For his second recording from Montreux, Les brought along bassist Jimmy Rowser, drummer Donald Dean, and percussionist Buck Clarke. Like many jazz artists of the time, Les experimented with electric, amplified instruments and Live At Montreux is a showcase for the many colors and textures of the recently-invented clavinet keyboard.

“Cochise” kicks off the set at breakneck pace. (The title inexplicably refers to an Apache chief from the 19th century.) On this track, the clavinet occasionally sounds blown out and distorted, which may or may not be a by-product of the recording process.

On the first movement of “North Carolina,” the clavinet has more of a bubbly sound, which is probably its most familiar mode (think Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”). About halfway into the track, Les reconfigures the clavinet to a more elegant, brighter setting, and it sounds like an entirely different instrument.

For an encore, Les selected the epic “Get Yourself Together”. Can’t say I love his vocals, but thankfully Les’s singing is only a small part of his repertoire. Later in the track, fellow Montreux performer Rahsaan Roland Kirk jumped onstage and contributed a sax solo, showing off his unusual technique of breathing without losing his tone. (Today I learned this is called “circular breathing.”)

Les last performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1998, though he has toured sporadically in the U.S. and Japan as recently as 2009.

Kool G. Rap & D.J. Polo
On The Run (Dirty Untouchable Remix)
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Released in 1992

Ray Bryant
Up Above The Rock
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Released in 1969

I had a thing at work recently where I was overdramatically quoting (sotto voce) that psycho De Niro speech from The Untouchables:

That same day, my iPod shuffle randomly selected a remix of Kool G. Rap & D.J. Polo’s 5-star classic “On The Run,” which samples that very same quote. Funny how the universe works sometimes.

For those unfamiliar with Kool G. Rap, he was one of the progenitors of first-person mafioso rap, influencing The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and scores of others. “On The Run” tells the story of a drug courier for the mob who decides to steal from his employers, only to discover the Luciano family isn’t giving up its stash without a fight. Kool G. creates a compelling narrator, and moves the story along without sacrificing flow or rhyme:

The thought alone makes me shiver, damn
What if I get caught? They’ll find me floatin in the Hudson river
But if I escape, I’ll be in shape for my life
but they might, get my kid and my wife

Kool G. and Polo recorded the record in Los Angeles, which was unprecedented for an East Coast hip hop artist. Sir Jinx — a Los Angeles-based producer who worked on Ice Cube’s seminal AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted album — worked with Polo on the beats.

“On The Run,” was built around a minor-key sample from Ray Bryant’s late-60s piano-soul 5-star classic “Up Above The Rock.” It’s a prime example of building and releasing tension, with the melody shifting from Ray’s piano to horn, Grady Tate’s drums maintaining the beat while upping the frenzy, and an occasional piercing “Hey!” jolting the mood to a new place.

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)

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.

The Ramsey Lewis Trio helped bridge the gap between jazz and more popular black music genres such as funk and R&B. From a production standpoint, Another Voyage manages to balance experimentation and spontaneity, with an eclectic range of styles and a boast (on the lower-right corner of the LP cover) that it was “Recorded in Concept 12,” whatever that means (Internet, you were of no help).

“If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It (Part 1)” kicks off the record with a hard-driving jam, showcasing the ferocity of Ramsey’s piano chops. By the way: Part 2, which closes the record, is just as funky.

“Do What You Wanna” is a classic blues progression elevated by slinky electric piano and Cleveland’s virtuosic bass playing. The background laughter, hand claps, and catcalls contributes to the uplift.

While in his favorite Chicago drum shop, Maurice found a kalimba, which sounds kinda like a toy xylophone. To witness Maurice play the kalimba is akin to observing a teenager play a video game — spasmodic thumbs in a meditative trance. “Uhuru” marks the first time Maurice recorded with the kalimba, and — decades later — Earth, Wind and Fire concerts still feature Maurice freaking a kalimba interlude.

Go do yourself a favor and pick up some more of The Ramsey Lewis Trio. His consistency starts getting shaky after Sun Goddess, so stick to the pre-1975 releases.