Archive for the ‘Creed Taylor’ Category

Cal Tjader

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

CalTjader, Cal Tjader, Verve, Creed Taylor

Listen: Soul Sauce / Cal Tjader CalTjaderSoulSauce.mp3

Latin lounge, mambo, exotica, acid jazz. He was labelled all of them and more over the years. But it was this single, a cover of the Dizzy Gillespie song, that defined his heyday during the mid 60′s. Master of the vibraphone, which became the default instrument for the 90′s cocktail-lounge revival, put he and a good portion of his Creed Taylor produced Verve output back on the map. Another one for the jukebox. You’d think the device was invented for this single once you hear it through a set of Seeburg speakers.

Esther Phillips

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

estherhatred, esther phillips, cti, creed taylor, pee wee ellis, atlantic, gil scott-heron

Listen: Home Is Where The Hatred Is / Esther Phillips EstherHatred.mp3

It would be foolish to discount Gil Scott-Heron’s own version of ‘Home Is Where The Hatred Is’, being a signature track on his REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED album, for any other. But if ever there was as vital a rendition to compliment the original, Esther Phillips’ has to be considered an absolute prize winner. Creed Taylor’s immaculate production, no doubt made all the more powerful via Pee Wee Ellis’ fantastic arrangements, embodies the image of heroin ridden Harlem projects or Watts tenements.

Esther Phillips deservedly had more than one career comeback starting in the 50′s, but her 70′s CTI period might just be proof that you never, ever know what can happen if you continue to make great records.