Waves
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter I’ve been back on the radio this week (sort of). Worldwide FM shared seven of my shows on their airwaves, taking in a few Excursions sessions as well as my favourite episodes of The Lesson show with Mr Thing. It’s been interesting listening back; a lot of the shows were recorded remotely during the various lockdowns of the past few years and the strangeness of that era is plain to hear. That aside I’m proud of the work we did on those shows so it was nice for them to get another airing. Whilst I’m on a break from regular radio at present I am hosting a couple of the upcoming Bandcamp Weekly shows so keep an eye out for those. I’ll also soon be sharing a DJ set I recorded for one of my favourite music channels - very excited to share what I got up to.
It was nice to get back to more regular posting this week, and I even got to do a little record shopping in London, taking in Steak Records in Peckham (more on that below), Sounds Of The Universe and Reckless in Soho. Coupled with the recent pick-ups from California I do need to make some space so look out for some more adds to my Discogs page very soon.
February 7th • Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace
Back by dope demand! As predicted my trip to California was a little too hectic to have any time to keep up my posts. Fortunately I have come back with a stack of new (old) records to get into over the coming weeks.
I had to start with this one, Aretha Franklin's seminal 1972 live LP Amazing Grace. I picked this up in possibly the most chaotic record store I've had the pleasure of visiting in the shape of Oakland's Groove Yard. When we arrived the owner was removing a series of tarpaulins from the racks, a preventative measure to counter the effects of a leaking roof. There were records on every available surface, piled high in several directions at once. Even his ancient PC on the counter was stuck with a recently finished solitaire game on the screen, cards concertinaing behind a series of error message pop-ups, frozen in suspended action.
My friend who took me along told me a great story about a bus driver whose route went by the store. He would stop by after work, over the years spending thousands of dollars on records. When he died his wife sold them the collection back and Groove Yard has slowly been putting them back on the shelves for new owners to find them. Records rotate in more ways than one it seems...
Anyway, back to this record; you probably know a bunch about it already. The highest selling live gospel record of all time and Aretha's biggest hit, it was recorded in LA in 1972 with an audience that included Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts. I think a quote from Mick actually sums up what makes this LP so special: “Being there in a church, you’re part of the experience — you’re not just a member of an audience somehow. You’re not in a posh seat sitting down, where you’ve paid your money and you’re like ‘OK, entertain me.’ It was not that feeling. It was a very different vibe than a normal concert… I think I was singing along.”
This sense of something different permeates every note of the record. Whether you believe in the message of the music or not, what's undeniable is the higher power that Aretha channels like no other. It is soul music in it's most potent form; fevered, vital and rich with meaning.
8th February • Andy And The Bey Sisters - ‘Round Midnight
Another pick up from my trip to the Bay Area, I grabbed this at the evergreen Groove Merchant in San Francisco. I don't know if any of you can relate but sometimes when I'm visiting a shop that I really love but don't go to that often I feel I have to buy something. As I get older the adage of 'use it or lose it' gets more pertinent by the day. So many of the formative shops and venues of my life have gone by the wayside, and I feel a sense of responsibility to support those that I can as much as possible.
Groove Merchant is definitely a place worth protecting but this time around I was a little pushed for time so couldn't delve into all corners of the racks as deeply as I would have liked. I selected this on a bit of a whim - I love Andy Bey but wasn't familiar with his work with his sisters Salome and Geradline. Seeing Kenny Burrell and Rudy Van Gelder's names on the sleeve gave me all the reassurance I needed that the risk was worth taking and I'm glad that I did.
It seems that the default position when getting deeper into jazz revolves around the canon of instrumentalists: Coltrane, Miles, Duke, Monk et al dominate the 'must have' lists within the genre, and it sometimes feels as if the vocalists are rather dismissed in some quarters. Records like this put paid to that, and remind me how so many of my favourite jazz records are vocal-led, including the Leon Thomas LP I wrote about a week or two back.
This isn't a ground-breaking record on the face of it, but reading the sleeve notes highlights how the approach to harmonies was something different to a lot of vocal jazz of the time. The title track is a great example of this; languid, honeyed vocals layering on top of one another, accompanied by an almost minimalist instrumental backing. It all sounds so simple, and yet it's anything but. Christopher Peters' sleeve notes get it about right: 'Sit back, sip your Johnny Walker Red, and dig'.
February 10th • Marcia Griffiths - Sweet Bitter Love
Abundant choice can be overwhelming sometimes. It's one of the reasons I struggle with streaming music; with infinite choice comes paralysis. This is less of an issue with a visibly finite record collection but even so I sometimes find myself glaring gormlessly at my shelves without a single idea of what I want to listen to.
I had a similar experience this morning, putting on a couple of LPs before abruptly lifting the needle before the first track had even finished. Flicking idly through instagram I saw this Marcia Griffiths album in Be With Records’ feed. It reminded me that one of my pick-ups from my trip to California was her cover of Young, Gifted and Black alongside regular collaborator Bob Andy.
I hadn't realised until today that my copy of this LP is slightly different to the original despite being released in the same year (I think). It seems that various versions with alternate running orders and titles have emerged over the years and what I have is far from definitive.
Anyway, those inconsistencies aside, this is a wonderful album. A short, but sweet set of soulful reggae from one of the genres smoothest voices, with just enough grit to keep things interesting. The arrangements of the 10 track set of songs from the pop and soul canon take some surprising turns, and every single one is perfectly judged. The eerie Here I Am Baby is a standout as is the driving funk of Everything I Own which wouldn't be out of place in a Northern Soul night.
So if you can't decide what to listen to today, stick this on your listening device of choice. Whatever the version, it's a surefire winner.
February 12th - The Champ OST - Dave Grusin
Yesterday afternoon I took a short walk to my newest local record shop, Steak Records, to spin a few tunes and help celebrate their launch. It was a great afternoon, made even better by some surprise catch-ups with friends I've not seen in a long while. I sometimes forget that the past few years have made these accidental hangs far less frequent which gave yesterday an extra warm feeling to combat the chilly weather.
After I'd played my brief set I had a browse through the racks - there's a nice selection of library, jazz and soul (including a killer Leroy Hutson LP) but this record was the one that caught my eye. When I was a kid, The Champ was my favourite film; I watched it a bunch of times. As an adult I revisited it and was pretty stunned by what I saw. It's incredibly sad, the story of an ageing boxer who re-enters the ring in a bid to impress his son and reconcile with his estranged wife. The ending *spoiler alert* sees him win his fight but die in the dressing room afterwards. God knows why 7 year old me liked this, but like it I did, so much so that I've just this second remembered that I named my first pet after Jon Voight's character (a cockatiel named Champ).
Looking at the sleeve I saw Dave Grusin's name and knew I had to get it. A serendipitous pick, made even better by shop owner Jon Phonics gifting it to me as a thank you for joining in the festivities. So now I have two stories around this album, both of which make me smile.
The record itself is pretty decent - a little schmaltzy in places, but there's a nice Brasilian-style cut in there and Grusin's ear for a groove is undeniable. Not a classic by any means, but a record that I'm sure will give me a lot of pleasure in the years to come.
Sweet Love
Enjoyed reading about ur Bay Area record shop excursions. The groove yard bus driver story was touching. I haven’t seen the champ, so when I saw spoiler alert I quickly scrolled along, but Dave Grusin is one mean soundtrack composer.