Walter Wanderley - Rain Forest

barabara sounds sez:

Swinging organ grooves from smooth bossa-lounge master Walter Wanderley. This was his first US recording, produced by Creed Taylor for Verve. The back cover of the original album was graced with a 'handwritten' blurb by crooner Tony Bennett: "If you like: Ella, Duke, Count, Sinatra... you'll love Walter Wanderly's music." Not sure about that at all. But the cover with its toucan and exotic pagan statue peering out of tropical foliage — that's classic. So is the wigged-out last half minute of the final track Bossa na Praia.

This certainly wasn't the first appearance of Rain Forest in the blogosphere — but it's a classic of its kind. So, in case anyone's missed it... it's now too late (DMCA takedown notification)

dusty sez:

An album that not only broke the bossa big in the US — but a set that also really helped transform the sound of the organ in jazz! Not only is the record a key meeting of bossa rhythms and jazz organ — transplanted hugely to the US after a big initial Wanderley run in 60s Brazil — but the set also features some of the cleanest organ lines to ever hit these shores -- a big difference from the heavier flutter that some of the US organists were using a few years before, and a sharp shift towards cleaner keyboard sounds for the rest of the decade. Instrumentation's nice and spare — mostly bass and percussion, plus a bit of flute and guitar — and titles include the massive hit "Summer Samba", plus "Rain", "Beach Samba", "Song Of The Jet", "Cried, Cried", and "Girl From Ipanema".

Soul Fingers ...and Funky Feet - a Blue Note compilation

barabara sounds sez:

When this Japan-only compilation came out in 1990, most of the tracks were OOP and unavailable on CD; these days there's little in the Blue Note vaults that hasn't been excavated. Even so, it's a fine compilation of swinging organ grooves from the (mostly) 60s, ranging from Baby Face Willette and Jimmy Smith to Lonnie Smith and Richard Groove Holmes. The top cut is the last one: Stanley Turrentine blowing some soulful sax on God Bless The Child, over Shirley Scott's smoldering keyboards.

And yes there ought to be some crap cover award for those wooly mittens — totally unworthy of the Blue Note name and label.

Lyman Woodard Organization Live At JJ's Lounge 1974

barabara sounds sez:

Here's a rare one from the Lyman "Saturday Night Special" Woodard Organization, which is high up there on a lot of people's lists as their favorite strata-east joint (yes, a difficult choice that one). Ripped from the JP reissue CD. The classic cut is 29-odd-minute final track — one for the inestimable Cheeba at Soundological.

dusty sez:
A rare live performance from the legendary Lyman Woodard Organization — captured here at the height of their powers in the 70s! The Organization has a really unique approach to their groove — one that starts in jazz, but moves quickly into funk -- with a spirit that you'd find in other 70s groups like Funk Inc or The Nineteenth Whole — both of which have the same soulful local spirit as Lyman's mighty group! Woodard himself is a wonderful organist — playing with these freewheeling lines that open the Hammond up strongly way past the Jimmy Smith generation, with a groove that's often soaring, but still tightly rhythmic too — a hypnotic vamp that's perfect for jamming tracks like these. Other group members are great too — and include Ron English on guitar, Norma Bell on alto sax, Lorenzo Brown on percussion, and Sundiata on congas — a very hip lineup that makes things really cook on the set! The recording was originally done for radio, and there's a few announcer bits — but that professional setting also makes the album sound way better than just a dodgy ol' local tape might. Titles include "Organ Interlude", "Kimba", "On Your Mind", "Last Tango In Paris", "You Make Me Feel Brand New", and "Cheeba".

track listing:
Kimba; On Your Mind; band announcement; Last Tango in Paris; A Portrait of Martha (organ interlude); You Make Me Feel Brand New; Cheeba