Deep Tracks 63

1. Grateful Dead – Franklin’s Tower (Winterland 77)
2. Bugalu – Charlie Palmieri
3. My Soul Is My Witness – Billy Preston
4. Shadows Tell Me All – Mike Bloomfield
5. Compost Festival – Compost
6. Didn’t You Know – Gladys Knight & The Pips
7. That’s How Strong Love Is – Mary Jane Hooper
8. Love Who You Can – Clarence Reid
9. At Last – Marvin Gaye
10. Easy Come Easy Go – Coke Escovedo
11. Color of the Mood – Dave Loggins
12. Try A Little Harder – The Crusaders
13. Runnin’ Blue – Box Scaggs
14. Professor Soul – Charles Kynard
15. Shackin’ Up – Chuck Armstrong
16. Mango Jam – Herman Riley

http://rapidshare.com/files/264834651/Deep_Tracks_63.zip

Whatever you think about the Grateful Dead, they were on target in 1977. The entire summer tour they just knocked em dead. High as kites, couldn't remember the words, sick to death of each other and yet when they hit the stage, it happened.

It should already be evident that I love Billy Preston's melange of funk, soul, jazz, and gospel. His output between about 1969 and 1975 is killer and for the most part remains available only on used vinyl.

It takes some balls to name your band Compost. Harold Vick's tight tenor tripped out with electronics and Jack Dejohnette's dynamism carry this tune. Why Tikal is on the cover I have no idea. Enjoy.

Not really sure who Dave Loggins is but this tune has the perfect 70's AOR vibe and totally works. You can tell me by the color of my mood. It's so gay it couldn't be gay.

The Crusader's were a 'fuzion' band with some street cred. Everyone of them had soul jazz chops and when you combine Joe Sample's fender rhodes with Wayne Henderson and Wilton Felder it couldn't be further from the bad perms and too tight jeans I associate with fusion.

Deep Tracks 62

1. Do You Love Me? – The Contours

2. Don’t You Think It’s Time – Courtial w/Errol Knowles

3. Boogaloo Joe – Boogaloo Joe Jones

4. Jazz-A-Go-Go – France Gall

5. It’s Your Thing – Cold Grits

6. Can’t Get No Peace – Al Campbell

7. Shakin’ the Tree – Youssou N’Dour

8. The Prophet – Crockett, Glover, Crockett

9. Gonna Move – Derek Trucks Band

10. Cold Bear – The Gaturs

11. Dat Dere – Sheila Jordan

12. Freedom Jazz Dance – Night Blooming Jazzmen

13. Don’t Come Around Here – Mark Putney

14. A Funky Song – Ripple

15. Love the Life You Live – Black Heat

16. Swivel Hips – Willis Jackson

17. On The Up – Melvin Sparks

18. Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett (live)

http://rapidshare.com/files/264467145/Deep_Tracks_62.zip

Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones was one of the first soul jazz heroes I discovered. His entire output spans a period from about 1967 to 1977 after which he retired to the church.
As far as I know he has not recorded again. His rapid fire style created an irresistible groove particularly at a time when so many in jazz were striving for the spiritual and/or free styles embodied by Coltrane, Davis, and Ornette Coleman. His work with tenor sax player Rusty Bryant is about as good as dance jazz gets.

Derek Trucks is a virtuoso guitar player and perhaps the finest modern slide player. His cover of Paul Pena's inspirational Gonna Move is brilliant particularly because the original was so damned good.

Melvin Sparks is another of the legends of jazz dance from the early 70's who, unlike Joe Jones, remains active today. A funky delight, On the Up, just moves. Like Jones, he was heavily influenced by the Black Power movement and the grooves of James Brown. They saw the light illuminating the future of jazz and it was funk. Dig it.

Deep Tracks 61

1. Turn Back the Hands of Time – Tyrone Davis

2. Darkuman Junktion – Sons and Daughters of Lite

3. Ain’t But The One – Aretha Franklin & Ray Charles

4. No Sugar Tonight – The Shirelles

5. Stand Up and Be Counted – The Flames

6. Chevrolet – Derek Trucks Band

7. Make Sure You Can Handle It – Bobby Patterson

8. I Know It’s Alright – The Crowns

9. Wavering – Roy Porter

10. Inside the Corn – Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers

11. Why You Been Gone So Long – Mylon LeFevre

12. Greasey Greens – Lionel Hampton

13. What I Call Soul – Les McCann

14. Sexy – Gino Dentie and the Family

15. Racetrack In France – Gil Scott Heron

16. Baloyi – Dudu Pukwana & Spear

17. CC Rider – Chris Clark

18. Why am I Treated So Bad – Cannonball Adderley

19. I’m Movin’ On – Ray Charles

20. Green’s Blues – Cal Green

21. Nao Bate O Coracao – Astrud Gilberto

22. We Go Back Aways – Johnny Winter

http://rapidshare.com/files/263409705/Deep_Tracks_61.zip

I love Turn Back the Hands of Time, it is one of those rare deep soul numbers that just shimmers with beautiful production and Tyrone had some pipes.

Aretha invited Ray Charles to play with her during he legendary stand at the Fillmore in 1970 and it ultimately led to a duet on her album. No surprise it is a gospel rave up.

I really like some of Mylon Lefevre's early 70's output which reminds me of Delany and Bonnie and was some good Southern Rock. He always loved God and by the late 70's he was strictly doing Jesus's work. Not so righteous but damn he had it right on his early albums.

Deep Tracks 60

1. Crossfire – Cabildos

2. African Children – Aswad

3. The Kid – Leroy Vinegar

4. 96 Tears – Aretha Franklin

5. Philadelphia Bright – Walter Bishop Jr.

6. Lord Help Me – Amnesty

7. Big River Blues – The Delmore Brothers

8. Addis A Rasta – Vin Gordon

9. Get Ourselves Together – Hugh Masekela

10. Some of My Best Friends are the Blues – Della Reese

11. At The Party – Hector Rivera

12. Do It Right – The Three Tops

13. If I’d A Club – Messengers Incorporated

14. Jimmy’s Back – Bernard Purdie

15. Lonesome Road Blues – Joe Val

16. Let’s Dance – Jimmy Cliff

17. Back Stabbers – Seldon Powell

18. You Know You’re Going Wrong – Walter Heath

19. It’s A Groovy World – The Unifics

20. Ain’t My Stuff Good Enough – Clydie King

21. Check It Out – Fats Theus

22. Iron Sharpeneth Iron - Culture

http://rapidshare.com/files/264194885/Deep_Tracks_60.zip

When I was in High School, my friend from Foster City could get Stanford University's radio station KZSU on his home tuner. He used to tape a sunday night reggae show hosted by the General called "Concrete Jungle." For a suburban white kid who thought reggae began and ended with Bob Marley, the tapes were a revelation and it became a mission to find the music the General played. African Children by Aswad was a classic example. This London based outfit achieved a lot of popularity in the late 80's. I personally find this to be a brilliant piece of poetry about ghetto suffering and hopelessness.

I loved finding a bit of Leroy Vinegar's 70's output including The Kid. Besides the blistering Fender Rhodes work, and his patented 'walking bass', Vinegar was a mainstay of the Portland jazz scene for many years and a really cool guy.