If anyone's a perfect 10 in the eyes of the shad shack it's gotta be Arkadin36. Not just because that's how many MRLs he's added to the archive this week but also for being a respectful, polite, fine, upstanding blogizen. These 10 new MRLs make a total of 16 Arkadin's added so be sure to let him know you appreciate his voluminous generosity when you have the chance!
A quick update for all the shackers out there. This time around we've got a couple new additions as well as some reposts/alternate versions that'll keep both the hoofers and the hedz happy. We're also creeping up to the halfway mark on the MRL series archive, with 58 of the 122 albums being represented here at the shad shack. Kudos to all the cats 'n' kittens out there on the prowl for more Mainstream!
Hal Galper - Wild Bird [MRL 354] repost at Black Classical
You may have missed this one the first time around since it was posted by Greg on his Sounds From The Edge Of The Universe blog shortly after he went private. Luckily, our G-Man is soooo generous, he couldn't help but keep sharing with the whole wide web and his new Impulse! site wasn't enough. That's why he and Rezacame back from blog limbo with the beautiful Black Classical so now this fine feast of fusion is available to shackers of all shapes and sizes. Head on over and check out their new digs and while you're at it you can dig on this dope Hal Galper album!
Harold Land - Damisi [MRL 367] New version by Greg from Black Classical
More goodness from Greg, this time a direct DL available (for now) exclusively at the shad shack. As shacker sasha mentioned in the comments, Land's Mainstream output is "really cutting-edge stuff" and it "has been an unexpected delight." If you weren't able to catch the Orgy In Rhythm post of this one back in the day, then here's your chance to grab it now!
Curtis Fuller - Smokin' [MRL 370] New share from everything is on the one
Also providing more MRL goodies is Dr. Johnny Fever, our physician of funk tradition over at everything is on the one. Bless his fantastically funky heart, this is the fourth MRL the doc has shared since he began his brilliant blog this summer. Talk about havin' the cure for what ails ya! Thanks are also due to the shad shack's honorary lion tamer, E-mile for pointing out the post in the first place!
Ernie Wilkins & His Orchestra - Hard Mother Blues [MRL 305] found in "the cloud"
An anonymous donation and another shad shack exclusive for the blogosphere. It's very similar in feel to The Phoenix Authority album which shouldn't be surprising since most of the personnel is the same. Most of the second side is constituted of Ernie's compositions which compete on an even keel with some of the classic number covered on the disc. Sounds like it was ripped from the P-vine CD reissue but can only guess...
Charles Kynard - Charles Kynard [MRL 331] An alternate rip of this mainstream jazzfunk monster has been posted recently at the magnificent Miloramonablog. Highly recommended site for jazz fans in general!
The Pride keeps getting bigger with two new blogs from one heavy hitter: El Goog Ja.
Last week he opened India Navigation, devoted to the label of the same name, and today he let loose with Groovy Merchant, a blog dedicated to the output of Sonny Lester's legendary jazzfunk label. If you're lookin' for cookin' souljazz and jazzfunk, head on over stat. You'll be happy you did!
"X" marks the spot this week with contributors Alpax and Vpex providing the lion's share of the eight albums added to the lion's sharethread (MRL 329, 347, 352 & MRL 312,348 respectively). Ish from Ile Oxumare and Nine Sisters also threw into the kitty with a rip of LaMont Johnson's Sun, Moon,Stars, while The Funky Goat and Jazzy Pier slapped some alternate versions of albums already seen at the shack. Click through to the posters' blogs for reviews and be sure to say thanks!
Actually, it's more of a blitzkrieg than an attack if you wanna be technical. This week saw six contributions from one submitter, Arkadin36! If you're a Mainstream fan, he's one man who definitely deserves recognition for his generosity in sharing these releases so show him some appreciation in the comments when you pick up any of the gems below.
[MRL 300] Ron Frangipane & His Orchestra - Rated X for Excitement
It may not be the Laura Nyro cover LP we've been hoping to see but it's the first in the Mainstream Red Lion series and it's got more than its fair share of Moogy madness to make it interesting, so it's worth a listen. It is heavy on the fromage though, so if these sample tracks don't wow you, you may as well keep movin' on...
[MRL 303] The Phoenix Authority - Blood, Sweat & Brass
"Movin' on" is bit of an understatement considering the cats Bobby Shad picked to bring their fiery funk to this set of hip pop hit covers. Check the roster: Grady Tate, Woody Shaw, Chuck Rainey, Hubert Laws, Kenny Burrell... Need we say more?
Boomp3.com Boomp3.com Haynes had just come off his work with Gary Burton and assembled his Hip Ensemble to embark on a jazz-rock fusion voyage with this release. A fine start it is with Hannibal and George Adams in top form over the driving rhythms. Highly recommended!
[MRL 325] Dizzy Gillespie & The Mitchell Ruff Duo - In Concert
Boomp3.com Pretty self-explanatory, this one as the trio play well in front of an appreciative crowd at Dartmouth College. Nothing to write home about but nothing to be ashamed of either.
Talk about underrated! This slice o' soul certainly deserves better and is similar in feel and sound to Maxine Weldon's debut. Lots of amazing players on this one too: Bernard Purdie, Wilbur Bascomb, Cornell Dupree, Ray Barretto and others with horn & string arrangements by Wade Marcus. Solid soul with some funky & jazzy touches throughout and it's on heavy rotation here at the shad shack.
Not a reissue of the critically acclaimed 1955 Roach & Brown LP also known by the same name, it's actually the demo tape they brought to Shad who signed them for EmArcy at the time. Informative liner notes and an early look at a classic recording make it well worth your attention.
The last few days have seen some great additions to the shad shack, especially from a personal POV. Smooth at My Jazz World has posted a record I have long wanted to hear, Blue Mitchell'sVital Blue[MRL 343]. Thanks for the hot tip ish! Classic Mitchell tone in a predominantly bop context and closer in sound to his latterday Blue Note efforts with a vocalist (NOT a singer) thrown in the mix. A very unique item in Mitchell's formidable catalogue!
Craig Nixon from acoustic levitation was kind enough to share Pete Yellin's Dance of Allegra[MRL 363] with the shad shack. Not sure who else was involved in the session yet, but the title tracks a goodie and there are some seriously funky moments on this LP. Cheers Craig!
Last but far from least, Katonah has solved one of our Mainstream mysteries by posting MRL 408 over at private press, a sweet little sampler of some strong offerings out of the shack's stack. He also gave us our first look at the cover, one of the four we hadn't been able to dig up - that means there's only three covers missing from our collection: MRL 350, MRL 372 and MRL 405. We're previewing the Buddy Terry track from the compilation since it is the only one not currently available elsewhere in the shack on the original artists' LPs. Thanks Katonah!!!
This puts the shad shack's collection at 41 of the 122 red lion releases, so we're sittin' at just over 1/3 of the run already archived. Thanks to all the big game hunters out there and don't forget to visit them and express your appreciation for their contributions. Also be sure to check the lion's share thread and its comments regularly (you could even subscribe to them if you were so inclined) for an up-to-date list of available LPs and notifications when additions have been made.
We'd also like to remind you that there's lots of label love to go around these days and urge you to check out The Pride links on the right for more discographical devotion!
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