Log #80 - Mister Magic

Record of the week is soul jazz masterpiece Mister Magic from Grover Washington Jr. which I first heard as a student in the 80s. It's smooth, it's funky and it's cool (like the cover). Released in 1975 it was Grover's 4th album and his first commercial success.

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1. Midlake - The Courage of Others

2. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

3. Amadou and Mariam - Dimanch a Bamako

4. Grover Washington Jr. - Mister Magic

5. Prem Joshua - Yatri

6. Various - The Karma Collection CD1

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Mister Magic opens with the experimental Earth Tones (12:20) which is a Miles Davis like jazz fusion piece by arranger and keyboardist Bob James. Book-ended by Washington's soprano sax riff the mid section goes free form underpinned by Harvey Mason's hi-hat emphasized drums. Passion Flower (5:32) is an arrangement of a smooth melodic piece from the 40s, backed by rich strings. Title track Mister Magic (9:00) is punchy and funky with a circular Eric Gale guitar riff. Amy Winehouse covered the track on her Frank album. This super tight album ends with Black Forest (6:06) - a big band arranged chunky piece of JBs like funk.

A very satisfying album that tends to be liked by anyone I play it to. Hashtag What'sNotToLike?

#WhatABand Grover grooves through Mister Magic

Speaking of cool the Grover Washington album merges seamlessly into the equally cool Prem Joshua album.  Prem is a German multi-instrumentalist majoring on Indian sitar. Beautifully produced and packaged Yatri is a gorgeous world fusion piece of authentic ethnic sounds over understated modern beats.

      

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Log #4 - The Whitest Boy Alive - Odd Name / Tight Band

A couple of new entries in the magazine this week. Firstly my new Whitest Boy Alive CD arrived and it's a corker - extremely catchy pop tunes with the funkiest bass lines and the sharpest of beats. A super little band now sadly defunct after only two albums but who live on in part through The Kings of Convenience (who are apparently recording a new album). I've played this album over and over this week, and in the car too on a long journey, so there hasn't been much look in for the rest. KOC retain their place of course and continuing my acoustic/americana/nu-folk mood I've slotted Fleet Foxes into hole number 2. Not too sure about the lead singer on their album any more but the harmonies are good.

1. Bear's Den - Islands
2. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
3. Matthew E. White - Fresh Blood
4. Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street
5. Afro Celt Sound System - Further in Time
6. The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams

Matthew E. White is a class act and Fresh Blood is an effortlessly soulful album. Bear's Den have a knack for some great tunes, lovely Crosby Nash Stills harmonies, and melancholic lyrics. I saw them at a local venue last year and for their encore they dismounted the stage and huddled unplugged in a circle in the crowd to sing an unplugged Bad Blood, the last track on the album. I highly recommend this talented young band.

Finally the Afro Celts hold on to a position largely due to plans to see them early next month. This week it is the turn of Further in Time which I think is one of their earlier albums (actually their 3rd - ed.) and features guest appearances from Peter Gabriel and Robert Plant.

Album of the week: Dreams

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