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Jazzman - Fryers
Jazzman Fryers
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Here we have our two favourite sides from “Queen of Rockabilly” Wanda Lavonne Jackson. “Funnel of Love" her ever-popular 1961 rock n’ roll standard. Recorded back in 1961 and covered by every half-decent rockabilly-influenced band ever since. On the Flip we up the game again with “Whirlpool”. Getting spins more recently on the European R&B and soul scene and certainly one my own fave Jackson 45s – one for the connoisseur! “Whirlpool” was also spun slowed down slightly (as is usual) on the Belgian Popcorn scene in the ‘70s. As always great care has been taken to make this the best sounding press of these two tracks, we took the masters to Finland where Timmion cutting labs cut loud, deep and wide. They sound so good, I sold my originals. | |||
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OK there are not many artists who have had such a hugely influential and broad career as Ray Charles and many of his tunes have been covered for the detriment of betterment of a hundred different styles. Well here at Jazzman we always like to find little gems hiding in plain sight and here we have two beauties that are exactly so. One answer and one reimagining of the classic ‘I Got a Woman’ - both super fun dancefloor versions. Let’s start with the Annie Williams, practically unknown apart from within the deep soul record collector circuit, this version is stronger on the dancefloor than even the Ray Charles original, with its stronger backing and rawkus r&B style vocal it smashes any dancefloor! One for the ladies (so I’m told!)
On the flip we have Bronx-born girl group Baby Jane & The Rockabyes (Madelyn 'Baby Jane' Moore, Yolanda Robinson, Yvonne DeMunn, Estelle McEwan) doing their girl pop interpretation of another classic from Ray. One of the busiest backing session groups in New York City of the period they released 15 singles in their career and were backing singers for Baby Washington on her early Neptune singles, two sides of which we have coming up on Fryers very soon.
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The only worthwhile reason to cover someone else’s record is A: If you have a completely different take on it, or B: If you can smash the original version to pieces. Now not many people would be willing to take on the Godfather of Soul “James Brown” at this task, but not only does Gene Chandler do this but he knocks it out the fucking park. This IS the version of “There Was a Time”.
Barnstorming pounding northern soul of the highest calibre, Nobody is messing with Chandler's confidence and he takes control of the heavy orchestration and rises effortlessly above it , his precise vocal timing and dominance that commands the dancefloor to lose control with a different dance on each breakdown. I have yet to be shown how to dance the “Gene Chander” but I can assure you every time i hear this record I have tried my best!
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Barbara Acklin’s magnificent “Am I the Same Girl” was released in February 1969 and reached #33 in the R&B charts and crossed over to #79 in the Pop charts. Despite its hit status it remains an elusive record to find Mint - probably because most copies were played to death. Yes it’s that good!Although Barbara Acklin — who was married to Eugene Record — recorded the song first, the song had its greatest impact as a 1968-69 instrumental hit single by Young-Holt Unlimited under the title "Soulful Strut". Producer Carl Davis removed her voice from the track, replaced it with a piano solo by Floyd Morris, and released the resultant track in November 1968 as "Soulful Strut", credited to Young-Holt Unlimited which went on to reach #3. The strong composition was proved yet again in the US as a 1992 release by Swing Out Sister charted the track for a third time. Neither Eldee Young nor Red Holt is believed to have played on the track, which was the work of session musicians identified only as the Brunswick Studio Band. On the flip we have “Love Makes A Woman”, Barbara’s biggest solo hit and rightly so, reaching number 5 in the R&B Charts and 15 in the Pop charts, this has been re-recorded from the original master and sounds better than ever. | |||
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Two rompin‘, boppin’ jump and jive numbers from one of the sassiest gals who ever laid it down! And lay it down Little Esther most certainly does here! Recorded with Johnny Otis’ orchestra for the Federal label back in the early ’50s this rare single boasted 2 sides penned by the legendary Lieber & Stoller. Already well into her career at this stage, Esther was still only 17 years old when she stepped into the studio but delivers the vocals with a characteristically confident and assured delivery. Hollerin’ And Screamin’ features a rock steady jiving pattern, some cool chiming percussive accompaniment and wonderfully under-stated guitars, while ‘Turn The Lamps Down’ finds Esther performing a call and response duet with Little Willie Littlefield over a shuffle rhythm. You gotta love it!
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New split 45 from Fryers, 2 great female vocal sides from the King label. Elaine Armstrong’s ‘Sad But True’ is a hopelessly obscure and surely under-played sister funk gem and another reminder that there were so many great vocalists and musicians active whose careers, for whatever reason, never took off. As far as it can be told, the obscure yet clearly talented Ms Armstrong cut just the one record. - a great shame, maybe, but at least here is a chance for you to hear it and pop it in your collection / DJ box.
As if to hammer home the point, the flip side features another fantastic side from an act whose career seems to consist of just the one solitary release. The Vonns ‘So Many Days’ is a fantastic gospel-tinged RnB / Soul number which has been on a lot of wants lists over the past few years. Sheer class it is too!
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Some records have an attraction not for their perfection but for their imperfection which makes them stand out as something special and interesting especially in a world of shiny pop like we live in today. This is the case of Angela Jefferson, produced and Written by Mather Washington, not the most amazing vocal ever (not surprising as Angela was a local 16 year old girl). What she lacks in technical skills she fills in with charm which makes the record something special, I especially like the change near the end (Fryer).Listen: 
Listen:
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Now this is what has got to be one of my fave Poets 45s for a while, taking influence in equal parts from Ethiopian grooves such as Mulatu and other Ankh stuff and the hardcore funk of the US, this blend explodes out of the speakers like a aerosol in an bonfire, essential!Listen  Listen
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Not much is known about this 45. It's on Henry Stone's "Drive" label and you probably have never seen a copy as it's crazy rare. Reissued by Fryer & Ian Wright before you had even heard of the record! Listen Listen
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"My name is Nathan Bartell, I am not sure about the recording date as its been a long time, i think its was '75 or '75.""At the Time i was having problems with my wife, she always looked down on me as if she was much better than me, we had two kids and could not get along. She though she was on top of the world and although i was over the hill in love she still though i was not good enough for her." "I heard this song and it was just how i feel on the inside, she was on the top and i was on the bottom, but that did not mean it was going to stay that way becuse when your on top you can always fall." "I was only 30 or 31 at the time and its all in the past, the bottom did rise." Dont sleep on this flip side, just as strong as the A side, it has all the charm a good soul or funk record requires to make it stand out as something special. Done in one take, the vocal even fades right out during one verse then comes back in super loud for the chorus, amazing !!!!!!!!!!!!! Listen: Listen:
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In the early 1970s, Detroit-born jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd moved away from his previous hard-bop jazz base and began to experiment with jazz fusion, jazz-funk, soul-jazz, and rhythm and blues. Teaming up with the Mizell Brothers, they produced Black Byrd, which was enormously successful and became Blue Note Records' highest-ever selling album. The Mizell Brothers followed up their success with more albums for Byrd - Places and Spaces, Steppin' Into Tomorrow and Street Lady were also big sellers, and have subsequently provided a rich source of samples for acid jazz artists such as Us3.
Another Donald Byrd production was for The 3 Pieces, a vocal trio signed to Fantasy Records. Until now the their music has been confined to their 1975 album 'Vibes of Truth', so it's about time that someone took the two strongest tracks from their masterpiece and cut them onto a 45. Not only that but we got hold of the master tapes and did a special transfer just for the 45. So now you have two of the most sublime '70s soul dancers on our format of choice sounding better than they ever, rich soulful strings, crispy sharp drums and deep ranging bass. 1975 never sounded so good! | |||
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Fryer gets to grips with the big sound of the moment with this well-placed RnB reissue which cheekily pairs 2 of the gems from Maybelle’s ‘50s recordings for the Okeh label.‘I’ve Got a Feelin’ has been sought after on the mod scene for a good while and proven really rather difficult to track down, especially on its 45rpm format. With fantastic latin accented congas, swinging horn patterns and Maybelle’s dread-drenched vocals delivering a strong sense of foreboding, this is one of those tracks that really cuts through genre and scene fetishism and stands alone as a bloody brilliant record! On the other side we have ‘Ocean of Tears’, one of Maybelle’s more widely recognized sides and a true Rhythm and Blues masterpiece. A deep gospel feel is off-set by a really swinging rhythm and great horn parts, whilst Maybelle’s immense, gut-wrenching vocal is the Blues encapsulated. | |||
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Everyone loves a bit of hot rockin’ RnB - and here’s a beauty with immense dancefloor appeal! Right from the start this little number swings, bops & boogies, a terrific arrangement complemented by excellent horns, hand claps and backing vocals, and of course the beautiful, sultry lead of Miss Ann Cole herself.
Ann Cole began her all too brief career with her family’s Gospel group The Colemanaires before going on to cut a batch of secular solo singles with the Baton label. From the Baton sides, Fryer has selected ‘Each Day’ for this limited run reissue, and it’s one which should really appeal to all fans of proper music, particularly DJs with an interest in packing out the dance floor!
On the flip is a sweet, string-laden ballad-with-a-beat. ‘Have Fun’, a wonderful track with a nod to Etta James’ mega-hit ’At Last’, was actually to be Cole’s last release, as she was alleged to have been the victim of a shooting incident which tragically all but ended her singing career.
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Is it Funk? Soul? Mod? RnB? Yes and no and yes again, it’s a bit of everything! Sonny Rhodes’ ‘You Better Stop’ is an alround post-deepfunk/soul crossover club dancer, good sounding for everyone. First spun on the European cross-genre funk n’ soul scenes by UK DJs like Ian Wright and Fryer, now getting picked up on the UK Northern scene which is now leaving the old stompers behind and is embracing the bouncing rhythms of funk. Fryer managed to get to the tapes which amazingly were still intact, so we went to work and transferred them at half-speed for a truly explosive sound!On the flip we have another very cool instrumental track from the same period. Labelmates “The Right Kind” whip up a funky R&B stormer with a slight moddy edge which never goes amiss for the ‘60s R&B and New Breed lovers. Not to be overlooked! | |||