... LP, Vinyl record album

Quite different than the usual Odetta album – and a record that has the folk singer running through some hipper more modern numbers, often with a bit of a funky twist! Some tracks were recorded in Muscle Shoals with a small combo that includes Roger Hawkins, Eddie Hinton, and Jimmy Johnson – but the best tunes were recorded in LA, with Carole King on piano and some tight arrangements by Jimmie Haskell. The LP includes Odetta's original funky track "Hit Or Miss", which is a very nice groover – plus other tracks like "Give A Damn", "Mama Told Me Not To Come", "Bless The Children", and "Movin It On". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Ralph J Gleason might just be one of the coolest cats to ever write about music – a key part of the San Francisco scene during the postwar years – where his talents helped illuminate both the worlds of art and music during the beat generation – then really helped shine a spotlight on all the cultural changes in the city during the 60s – which even led to Gleason's role in the founding of Rolling Stone magazine! Gleason always had a great eye (and ear) for things that were new and special, but never in a way that was slavish to the moment – or to its creator – and the book features an initial section on his writings on jazz and blues – with essays on John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Carmen McRae, BB King, John Handy, Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete, Cal Tjader, Ben Webster, the San Francisco Jazz scene, and other diverse topics. The second section features Gleason on folk and rock – with bits on Jefferson Airplane, Hank Williams, Lenny Bruce, Odetta, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and others – and the final section features articles on politics and culture – covering topics that include Richard Nixon, radio payola, Law & Order, flower children, and other slices of society, seen from the Gleason viewpoint. Book is hardcover, and 309 pages. Book

A nicely rootsy set – one that mixes vintage work with new material done in a similar mode – all at a level that criss-crosses between rural blues, trad jazz, and a range of other older styles! The package is maybe less a full compendium of the roots of black music than it is a set that does a good job of changing artists while keeping an eye on a thematic sense of expression – beginning with actual roots, then using roots revival and contemporary material to echo a unified aesthetic! The package has track by track notes, and essays on the music – and the 40 track set features work from Cedric Burnside, Corey Harris & Sharde Thomas, Ranky Tanky, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lightnin Hopkins, Staple Singers, Bennie Richardson, Golden Eagles, Martin Bogan & Armstrong, Bessie Jones, Skip James, Cephas & Wiggins, Inmate Named Peter, Rev Gary Davis, John Jackson, Odetta, Mississippi John Hurt, Professor Longhair, Campbell Brothers, Dom Flemons, Tuts Washington, and others. CD

A pretty great 2LP set that features the original funky 45s used to create the classic Brainfreeze mix LP. Titles include "Superjock" by Reuben Bell, "Funky DJ" by Fried Chicken, "Hung Up" by Salt, "Three People In Love" by Mack Rice, "From This Day On" by Eddie Bo, "Hit Or Miss" by Odetta, "Cosmic Sea" by Mystic Moods, "Dance The Slurp" by 7 Eleven, "Hey Joyce" by Lou Courtney, and "Bumpin Bus Stop" by Thunder & Lightning. LP, Vinyl record album