5.26.2008

New Orleans Funk V, 2

This compilation is a prime example of why dropping some coin on a reissue is warranted. The folks at Soul Jazz records include a nice slipcase, and a thorough booklet with real liner notes that make listening to this release a joy and educational at the same time.

I purchased this item at Rockit Scientist the last time that I was in Manhattan a couple of weeks back. Robert suggested that it was a must have CD.

For me, the back stories really make it. I am sure that many in the audience know these bits of trivia, but they are new to me. An example of this is the date, May 17, 1970. This is the date when Wardell Quezegue, the producer and arranger extraordinaire took King Floyd, Jean Knight and Bonnie and Sheila to the Malaco recording studio in Jackson Miss. to record. These three sessions on the same da brought up the following results; King Floyd hit with "Groove Me"(Chimneyville), and Jean Knight hit with "Mr. Big Stuff "(Stax). Pretty amazing hit rate, even though Bonnie & Sheila failed to hit on King with "You Keep Me Hanging On.

Another nugget, "Fortune Teller" was written by Naomi Neville-- a pen name for Allen Toussaint. Is it laziness, or what, not sure, but I was never aware that was the origin of the much covered song. Benny Spellman was the first artist credited with this song in '62 on Minit Records.

The music seems to really follow the muse of New Orleans, as it features, R&B, funk, and a wide variety of other influences -- jazz blues, African rhythms. A great overview, I will have to keep my eye out for V. 1.

It has been a while since there has been enough reading material included with a CD that I have purchased to keep me occupied for the entire listening experience. This release is a keeper and gets the nod from Cratedigger Labs.

2 comments:

Vincent the Soul Chef said...

Wow, never seen this one before. I'm hitting Dusty Groove for sure, hopefully the vinyl's still in print. Thank God I have vol. 1 on vinyl as it's now worth a pretty penny (I've seen it at Amazon a few months back in the three digit range). They are selling new copies of the CD for about 37 bucks now thanks to the revival of Here Come The Girls.

HSB DaveB. said...

Thanks for the heads up RB. Yeah, Vincent is right, Vol. 1 is SUPERB. I also have the vinyl and I dip into it quite often when putting mixes together. It's just that good. Hope all is groovy in the world of RB.

Peace and SOUL,
Dave...