The Real Thing / Houston Person

この2枚組アルバムを購入するのは実は 2組目です。昨年夏に某所で購入したのですが、1枚目の LP にヒビが入っていた (しかも seller は交換に応じてくれなかった…とほほ) ため、もう 1組買う羽目になったのでした。

This is my 2nd copy I obtained recently – I bought the 1st copy in last summer at a certain auction site, but when I received the parcel, I noticed that the disc 1 was broken during the transit (what was worse, the seller completely ignored my e-mail to ask him for return…). So I had to find and buy another copy which was actually playable.

 
[2EB-9010 Outer Cover]      [2EB-9010 Inner Cover]
The Real Thing / Houston Person
(Eastbound 2EB-9010)
 

さて、このアルバムは、Grant Green が公式に残した録音のうち、最後から 3番目にあたるものです。1973年 3月14-15日、Watts Club Mozambique におけるライブ録音です。下のリストを見ても分かる通り、Grant Green の最後の輝きを (幸運にも) 記録したアルバムであると言えます。最後の 2枚のリーダーアルバムはかなり力が抜けてしまって安易なイージーリスニング風フュージョンですから…

This album became Grant Green‘s third last official recording in his entire life as a guitarist. This live recording was made on March 14-15, 1973 at the Watts Club Mozambique. As you can see in the below list, this album (very luckily) captures the very last period of Grant Green’s artistic peak, while on the other hand his last two leader albums were full of very dull easy-listening crossover sounds…

 
  • April 21, 1972 (live at the Lighthouse Club, Hermosa Beach, CA)
    • Live At The Lighthouse / Grant Green (Blue Note BN-LA 037-G2)
  • March 14 or 15, 1973 (live at the Watts Club Mozambique, Detroit, MI)
    • The Real Thing / Houston Person (Eastbound 2EB-9010)
    • Together – The Eastbound Jazz Years (Beat Goes Public BGPD-071)
  • March 1976 (Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ)
    • The Main Attraction / Grant Green (Kudu KU-29)
  • April 17-20, 1978 (NYC)
    • Easy / Grant Green (Versatile MSG-2002)
 
[2EB-9010 Side-A]      [2EB-9010 Side-B]

[2EB-9010 Side-C]      [2EB-9010 Side-D]
 

で、肝心の内容ですが、この時代らしい Soul Jazz、Funk Jazz のオンパレード。リーダーの Houston Person も非常に好調にブリブリとやらかしてますし、Idris Muhammad のファンキーなドラミングも冴えまくってます。Green 参加の 6曲のうち “Since I Fell For You” を除いた 5曲で Muhammad さんがドラムスを担当しているのも好印象 (“Since I Fell For You” の Hank Brown さんは、ややステディに過ぎるきらいがある様に思います)。Jimmy Watson, Sonny Phillips, Jack McDuff という 3人のオルガンの聴き比べも面白いでしょう。あの時代の Soul/Funk っぽい Jazz が好きな人には文句なしにお勧めできる好アルバムです。

Talking about the musical contents – all tracks are what the Soul Jazz or Funk Jazz should be. The leader Houston Person plays very dirty, mellow and soulful tenor sax, while the amazing drummer Idris Muhammad doing the funky funky stuffs. Luckily, Idris Muhammad’s awesome drumming is featured on five out of six tracks which features Grant Green on guitar (on the rest track “Since I Fell For You”, Hank Brown replaces Muhammad – I feel Hank’s drumming sounds rather steady, though). Comparing individual characteristics among three different organists (Jimmy Watson, Sonny Phillips and Jack McDuff) is also interesting. Anyway, this double LP is highly recommended for anyone who like Souly and Funky Jazz music of the late 1960s – early 1970s.

 


 
A-1 You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
A-2 Since I Fell For You
A-3 Until It’s Time For You To Go
B-1 Pain
B-2 Angel Eyes
C-1 Easy Walker
C-2 Kittitian Carnival
C-3 Could It Be I’m Falling In Love
D-1 Where Is The Love?
D-2 Medley: Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do – Don’t Go Strangers
D-3 Crazy Legs

Marcus Belgrave (tp on B-1, C-2, C-3, D-3), Donald Townes (tp on C-2),
Eli Fountain (as on C-2), Houston Person (ts on all tracks), Wild Bill Moore (ts on C-2),
Jimmy Watson (org on A-1, A-2, D-1, D-2), Sonny Phillips (org on A-3, B-1, C-1, C-2, C-3, D-3), Brother Jack McDuff (org on B-2),
Grant Green (g on A-2, B-1, B-2, C-1, C-3, D-3), Robert Lowe (g on A-1, A-3, B-1, C-2, C-3, D-2, D-3),
James Jamieson (b on B-1, C-3, D-3),
Hank Brown (ds on A-1, A-2, A-3, C-2, D-1, D-2), Idris Muhammad (ds on B-1, B-2, C-1, C-3, D-3),
Buddy Caldwell (conga/tambourine on A-1, B-1, C-2, C-3, D-1, D-2),
Etta Jones (vo on D-2), Spanky Wilson (vo on A-3).

Recorded at the Watts Club Mozambique, Detroit, MI on March 14-15, 1973.

Produced by Bob Porter for Eastbound Records, Inc.
Engineers: Chuck Buchanan, assisted by Marty Jakubowski.
Remix Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder.
Mastering: Howard Craft.

4 thoughts on “The Real Thing / Houston Person

  1. HI Great Info cheers for that
    There is a special unissued track on an Eastbound Complilation called together which is Lester Leaps In . It is on a BGP release on cd . Let me know if you hear of the whole lp being reissued

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  3. 『All Soul』最高でした。バン・ゲルダー録音。低域ブーミーですが、最高のソウルフル・テナーです。ここ何ヶ月も米国では売れていますね。日本ではどうなのかなぁ。

  4. Sugar さん、こちらでも宜しくお願いします。
    > ここ何ヶ月も米国では売れていますね。日本ではどうなのかなぁ。
    どうなんでしょうね。バカ売れはしてないけど、若者層を中心に (?) じわじわと浸透してるのかも知れません。
    かくいう私はまだ買ってないのですが、試聴した限りでは、「あの」Houston Person もいい感じで枯れてきてますね。

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