Showing posts with label Ray Parker Jr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ray Parker Jr. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Herbie Hancock - Sunlight

Styles:  Piano Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:20
Size: 90,8 MB
Art:

(8:55)  1. I Thought It Was You
(8:24)  2. Come Running to Me
(7:10)  3. Sunlight
(6:18)  4. No Means Yes
(8:32)  5. Good Question

After Man-Child, alas, Herbie Hancock's American jazz-funk records in the 1970s grew gradually more commercial, less stimulating, and crucially, less truly funky with each release, even as his equipment rack grew larger. Just take a look at the staggering collection of keyboards on the back cover of the Sunlight LP all sought-after collectors' items now yet Hancock makes so little use of their possibilities here. For much of the album, he seems most interested in establishing a new career as an electronic vocalist. "I Thought It Was You," "Come Running to Me," and the title track introduce the ghostly, gauzy sound of Herbie's singing voice as heard through a vocoder; there's even an electronic Herbie scat choir. Stevie Wonder, he's not. There are still occasional splashes of Hancock harmonic color on the keyboards, but he also relies upon superfluous, self-arranged brass riffs and string backgrounds. The backup bands shift from track to track, from combinations of Headhunters alumni that offer soft-focused facsimiles of the old funk drive to a surprisingly strait-jacketed pairing of Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius on the eccentric "Good Question." ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/sunlight-mw0000473390

Personnel:  Herbie Hancock – keyboards, synthesizers, lead and background vocals (through vocoder) (1–3), string, brass and woodwind arrangements; Patrick Gleeson – additional synthesizers (5); Bennie Maupin – soprano saxophone solo (3); Wah Wah Watson, Ray Parker, Jr. – guitar (1, 3); Byron Miller (1), Paul Jackson (2–4), Jaco Pastorius (5) – electric bass; Leon "Ndugu" Chancler (1), James Levi (2, 3), Harvey Mason, Sr. (4), Tony Williams (5) – drums; Raul Rekow (exc. 3), Bill Summers (exc. 1) – percussion; Baba Duru – tabla (2); Bobby Shew, Maurice Spears, Robert O'Bryant, Garnett Brown – brass (exc. 4); Ernest J. Watts, Fred Jackson, Jr., Jack Nimitz, David Willard Riddles – woodwind (2, 5); Terry Adams, Roy Malan, Nathan Rubin, Linda Wood, Emily VanValkenburgh – strings (2)

Sunlight

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Lee Ritenour - Captain Fingers

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:05
Size: 94,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:10)  1. Captain Fingers
(7:04)  2. Dolphin Dreams
(5:10)  3. Fly By Night
(5:10)  4. Margarita
(4:33)  5. Isn't She Lovely
(5:10)  6. Space Glide
(6:47)  7. Sun Song

Lee Ritenour was born January 11, 1952 in Los Angeles, California. He played his first session when he was 16 with The Mamas & The Papas. Nicknamed "Captain Fingers," he (along with Larry Carlton) was a sought-after session guitarist by the mid-70s. He is noted for playing his red Gibson ES-335 and his Gibson L5 guitars. One of his most notable influences is the pioneering jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. In 1976, he released his first solo album, First Course. This was followed up by his famous fusion work Captain Fingers in 1976. Since First Course he has released over 30 albums - the 30th being Rit's House in 2002. One of his most notable works is his 1981 pop album Rit (featuring vocalist Eric Tagg), which contained the chart hits "Is It You," and "Mr. Briefcase." In the 90s, he was one of the founding members of smooth jazz group "Fourplay".

Throughout his career, Lee has not been afraid to experiment with different styles of music, often incorporating elements of funk, pop, rock, blues and Brazilian music with Jazz (much to the dislike of many critics). In the early 1980s, Lee was given his own Ibanez signature model guitar, the LR-10. The LR-10 was produced from 1981 to 1987. It can be heard exclusively on Rit. Currently, Lee plays the Gibsons that he first played in the 1970s (the ES-335 & L5), and now also plays his signature Lee Ritenour Model archtop guitar made by Gibson.

Personnel:  Lee Ritenour electric guitar, classical guitar, guitar synthesizer, associate producer, writer;  Dave Grusin keyboards, string arrangements, conductor, writer;  Dawilli Gongakeyboards;  Ian Underwood keyboards;  Patrice Rushen keyboards;  David Foster keyboards;  Dennis Budimir guitar;  Jay Graydon guitar;  Mitch Holder guitar, writer;  Ray Parker Jr. guitar;  Anthony Jackson bass;  Alphonso Johnson bass;  Bill Dickinson bass;  Charles Meeks bass;  Mike Porcaro bass;  Harvey Mason drums, percussion Jeff Porcaro drums;  Steve Forman percussion;  Victor Feldman congas;  Ernie Watts saxophone;  Bill Champlin vocals.

Captain Fingers

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Ray Parker Jr. - After Dark

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:07
Size: 99,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Don't Think That Man Should Sleep Alone
(4:40)  2. Over You (feat. Natalie Cole)
(4:10)  3. Lovin' You
(4:48)  4. You Shoulda Kept A Spare
(3:30)  5. The Past
(4:31)  6. You Make My Nature Dance
(4:52)  7. Perfect Lovers
(4:03)  8. After Midnite
(3:45)  9. I Love Your Daughter
(4:29) 10. After Dark

This was the closest Ray Parker Jr. ever came to doing adult soul. His debut for Geffen included the song "I Don't Think That Man Should Sleep Alone." This was his last big hit, and despite the title, said some serious things about male/female intimacy and relationships. Parker's voice sounded more somber, introspective, and varied than on anything before or since. ~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/after-dark-mw0000197005               

Personnel:  Ray Parker, Jr. – all instruments, arrangements (1, 3, 4, 6-10);  Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar;  Cornelius Mims, Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus – bass;  Jeff Porcaro, Ollie E. Brown, Carlos Vega – drums;  J. Wayne Lindsey, Robbie Buchanan, Eric Daniels, Sylvester Rivers, Greg Phillinganes, Burt Bacharach – keyboards;  Larry Williams – synthesizer;  Kevin Toney – acoustic piano;  Gerald Albright – saxophone solo (2);  Dave Boroff – saxophone solo (4).
 
Background Vocalists:  Ray Parker, Jr., Kamaya Koepke, Karyn White, Arnell Carmichael, Keith Harrison, Candice Ghant, Kashif (also BGV arrangement on track 5), Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Yogi Horton, Cornelius Mims, Monty Seward, Lynne Fiddmont, Philip Bailey, Greg Phillinganes, Anita Sherman.

After Dark

Monday, January 29, 2018

Ray Parker Jr. - The Heritage Collection

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:20
Size: 94,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:38)  1. Jack And Jill
(3:24)  2. You Can't Change That
(4:07)  3. A Woman Needs Love
(4:00)  4. Ghostbusters
(4:06)  5. I Still Can't Get Over Loving
(4:17)  6. Jamie
(4:31)  7. For Those Who Like To Groove
(4:05)  8. The Other Woman
(3:55)  9. Two Places At The Same Time
(4:13) 10. Bad Boy

A brief collection of Ray Parker's bubblegum soul hits including the "Ghostbusters" monster from the movie of the same name. Every selection sounds as if it was tailored for 12- year-olds. His only attempts at being hard "Jamie," "For Those Who Like to Groove," and "Bad Boy"never quite get there. Still, the charm in lightweights like "You Can't Change That," "Jack and Jill," and "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" is contagious. Someone should compile a CD of Ray's pre-Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio recordings; he expressed himself more soulfully as a teenager fronting local Detroit groups like the Vows who waxed "When a Boy Loves a Girl."~ Andrew Hamilton https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-heritage-collection-mw0000052908

The Heritage Collection

Monday, April 3, 2017

CreoleJoe Band - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:10
Size: 110.3 MB
Styles: Creole, Cajun rhythms
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:29] 1. Down in New Orleans
[4:20] 2. Louisiana Woman-Texas Man
[3:59] 3. Louisiana Lovin'
[4:25] 4. Zydeco Train
[4:13] 5. Jambalaya Jumble
[4:41] 6. Boomti, Boomti, Boom Boom
[4:47] 7. You Look Better Goin' Than Comin'
[3:45] 8. Creolejoe
[4:15] 9. Zydeco Zoo
[4:56] 10. Down Home, Lown Down Zydeco Blues
[4:17] 11. If Anybody Ask You

Joe Sample - Accordion; Ray Parker Jr. - Guitar & Vocals; C.J. Chenier - Vocals; Nicklas Sample - Bass & Vocals; Erica Falls - Vocals; June Yamaguchi - Guitar; Skip Nallia - Keyboards; Raymond Weber - Drums; Alex McDonald - Scrub-board & Vocals.

In 1999 Joe Sample moved back to his hometown of Houston, Texas and rediscovered the “la la music” that was so much a part of his youth. Cajun accordion, Mississippi and Texas Delta Blues, and some good old Texas two step, all conspiring to create what Joe refers to as, Creole Folk Music.

CreoleJoe Band