Solid Ground (1981)
Once upon a time in the early 80’s there was no such thing as smooth jazz. When light-hearted fusion was made, it tended to have a far more diverse range of colors. Ronnie Laws comes from that older school of lite jazz-funk musicians who enjoyed a hefty (and healthy) R&B flavor in their music as well. “Solid Ground” is as much a Jazz/Funk R&B album then anything from the “smooth jazz” genre, but you can hear traces of the genre here and there. It has those nice 80’s keyboards on the title track and on the cut, “Your Stuff” Mr.Laws is at least an adequate if not a damn good singer. He may not be in the same category as George Benson but certainly no slouch either. This might be a vintage album, but it plays surprisingly well with todays’ jazz standards. Well produced and upbeat, it also includes siblings Debra and Eloise Laws doing the background vocals and Hubert Laws on the flute. If you like the early 80’s work of Jeff Lorber or George Duke you will likely find music to your liking here. (Amazon by A.S.G)
Tracks:
1. Heavy on Easy
2. Segue/There’s a Way
3. Stay Awake
4. Solid Ground
5. Your Stuff
6. Just as You Are
7. Summer Fool
8. Good Feelings
**Listen**
Ronnie Rawls – Solid Ground (1981)
Diciembre 21, 2008 a 7:37 pm (Funk Jazz, Jazz)
Sting – Bring On The Night (1986)
Diciembre 21, 2008 a 5:54 pm (Jazz, Pop)
Bring On The Night (1986)
Sting really got carried away with the idea that his supporting crew for Dream of the Blue Turtles was a real jazz band, and technically, he was kind of right. He did pluck them straight out of Wynton Marsalis’ backing band (thereby angering Wynton and emboldening his anti-rock stance, while flaring up a sibling rivalry between the trumpeter and his saxophonist brother Branford — a veritable hat trick, that), and since he was initially a jazz bassist, it seemed like a good fit. At the very least, it seemed like a monumental occasion because he documented the entire development of the band and the making of Dream with a documentary called Bring on the Night, releasing a double live album as its soundtrack just a year after the debut hit the stores. The live album feels like a way of showcasing Sting’s jazz band and jazz chops. Most of the songs run around five minutes long and there are no less than three melodies, two of which marry an old Police number with a tune from Dream. Arriving as a second solo album, it can’t help but feel a little unnecessary, although the loose, rather infectious performances show what Sting was trying to achieve with his debut. (AMG)
Tracks:
cd1
1. Bring on the Night/When the World Is Running Down You Make the Best of
2. Consider Me Gone
3. Low Life
4. We Work the Black Seam
5. Driven to Tears
6. The Dream of the Blue Turtles/Demolition Man
cd2
1. One World (Not Three)/Love Is the Seventh Wave
2. Moon Over Bourbon Street
3. I Burn for You
4. Another Day
5. Children’s Crusade
6. I Been Down So Long
7. Tea in the Sahara
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