Roberta Flack - 'First Take'

 

Roberta Flack's debut album, 'First Take', was recorded in just ten hours in February 1969 at Atlantic Studios in New York City.  It was produced by Joel Dorn, and released June 29th 1969, on The Atlantic Records label.

Roberta's piano and vocals are backed by Ron Carter on bass, Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, and Ray Lucas on drums.  On many of the tracks there are horn & string arrangements by William S. Fischer.  But the horn and string "sweetenings" are generally light, tasteful, and I would venture to guess, added in post-production.

The album lives up to its name, with the songs captured in a single take, creating a relaxed, "live in the studio" atmosphere.  The album is basically a recreation of Roberta's live set, she played at Mr. Henry’s Jazz club in Washington, D.C.  This was where Les McCann caught her set, and got her a recording contract with Atlantic Records.  Les also wrote the liner notes for 'First Take'

When 'First Take' was released, critics loved it, but it didn't sell well, it was however popular with the R'n'B and Jazz crowd. ,

In 1971, Clint Eastwood put "First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" in his film, 'Play Misty for Me'.  The song became a breakout hit for Roberta in late 1971/early1972 more than three years after its original 1969 release.

'First Take' reached number 1 on the Billboard albums chart and Billboard R&B album chart. 

Track list
1. Compared to What
2. Angelitos Negros
3. Our Ages or Our Hearts
4. I Told Jesus
5. Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye
6. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
7. Tryin' Times
8. Ballad of the Sad Young Men

The aesthetic on 'First Take' is unified, but the set list is diverse.  This is an astonishing album that sounds timeless.

For the freeload, what's your favorite film that Clint Eastwood starred in?

Buddy Guy - 'A Man and the Blues'

 

A few years back, I saw Buddy Guy at his club, Legends in Chicago. The show was a lot of fun, but it was heavy on showmanship, and light on blues music.  Gone was Buddy's clean but sharp and biting signature Fender Stratocaster sound, it was replaced by loud distorted sound that drowned out his backing band.  Buddy unleashed an unending barrage of explosive riffs, characterized by piercing treble and chaotic clusters of notes that appeared to lack any discernible pattern, direction, or purpose, save for sheer noise.  Individual notes were rendered inaudible.  As an aside, I've seen Jeff Beck shows with a similar situation.

At one point in the middle of a guitar solo on a slow tune that I was actually enjoying, he just stopped playing, and ordered a Rémy Martin XO from the bar.  What the actual….?  Then he made a point of telling us how smooth it goes down, and that it costs $200 a bottle.  It was a little like a hip version of the those late 1980s commercials with drunk Orson Welles shilling for Paul Masson wine.  "We will sell no wine before its time".

After several shots he started chatting with the audience.  To his credit the rapport he establishes with his audience is a marvel to behold, Buddy is a really (dare I say it?) nice guy, who knows how to work a crowd.  That said he (much to the chagrin of his band) stopped songs early, got easily sidetracked by chatting with the audience, and letting his showmanship overshadow the continuity of the music.  During one song he played his Stratocaster with drum sticks. Why?

Don't get me wrong, despite all my complaining, I had a blast, but I was left with the feeling the show would have been more suited to a Las Vegas lounge, than a Chicago blues club.

For today's freeload we're taking a trip down memory lane to 1968, before the polka-dot suits, with a matching Fender Stratocaster, and Buddy "hamming it up".

"A Man and the Blues" was recorded at Universal Studio, Chicago, in 1967, and released on the Vanguard Records label in 1968.  It was produced by Sam Charters.

This was Buddy’s second album and marked his emergence from the shadow of his mentors, Muddy Waters and B.B. King.  It was also his first release after leaving Chess Records.  Vanguard Records granted Buddy the creative freedom he had been denied on his first album, ‘Left My Blues In San Francisco,’ released in 1967 on the Chess label (Marshall Chess, thought Buddy’s modern, amplifier-heavy, and high-energy guitar style was "noise").  This freedom allowed him to express his explosive guitar and vocal work without any restrictive label interference.  Samuel Charters' production puts Buddy's vocals and stinging guitar work directly front and center without the use of over-polished pop production.

'A Man and the Blues' also features an elite Chicago rhythm section, with the legendary Otis Spann on piano, Fred Below on drums, and Jack Myers on bass.  On rhythm guitar is the criminally little known Wayne Bennett who has recorded with such blues musicians as Elmore James, Otis Rush, Jimmy Reed, The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and a ten-year stint with Bobby "Blue" Bland.  Aaron Corthen, Bobby Fields and Donald Hankins provide rich, soulful grooves as a saxophone trio.

The is Buddy Guy at the absolute peak of his creative powers.

For the freeload what concerts have you seen (good or bad) where the artist or the group's frontman talked excessively.

Rest In Peace Sonny

 

Miles Davis - 'Aura'

'Aura' was recorded at Easy Sound Studios in Copenhagen in January1985.  It was produced by Palle Mikkelborg.  Due to contractual issues and other "rhubarb", it wasn't released until September 12, 1989.

This is Miles' final masterpiece, a fully realized suite that stands as a cohesive whole.  'Aura' earned Miles two Grammy Awards: Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist, and Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band, in 1990.

Aura, a tribute to Miles Davis that took place in early 1985 in Denmark, was a celebration of his work with Danish musicians. This prestigious Danish cultural award featured a recording session that Miles really enjoyed. Danish composer and trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, a jazz modernist with deep classical roots, composed and arranged all the tunes.

The recording featured the Danish Radio big band and special guests like bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, drummer (and Miles’ nephew) Vince Wilburn, Jr., and guitarist John McLaughlin.  While some dated musical elements, such as gated drums and heavy reverb, hint at the 1980s production, the overall sound maintains a sense of good taste and balance.

The tracks are named after simple colors, with the closer the color is to white, the more subtle and subdued the music becomes.  Conversely, the more intense the shade, the more dynamic the music.  "Orange" introduces electronic elements and sets the tone for an energetic performance.  "Red" featuring a throbbing bass line and tide-like synthesizer swells, flows seamlessly from one section to another, evoking a sense of solemnity reminiscent of a movie score.  "Violet" showcases John McLaughlin in his full-force, less distorted sound from the 1990s, offering a cleaner and clearer performance compared to his work in the 1970s.  As Aura’s final track, it also includes a particularly effective moment when Miles switches from playing mute to playing an open bell.  This moment leaves me wishing John and Miles made more collaborative music.

Tracklist
  1. Intro
  2. White
  3. Yellow
  4. Orange
  5. Red
  6. Green
  7. Blue
  8. Electric Red
  9. Indigo
10. Violet

The Players
Miles Davis, Trumpet 
Palle Mikkelborg, Flugelhorn, Trumpet 
John McLaughlin, Electric Guitar 
Vince Wilburn, Jr., Drums 
Marilyn Mazur, Percussion 
Benny Rosenfeld, Flugelhorn, Trumpet 
Palle Bolvig, Flugelhorn, Trumpet 
Jens Winther, Flugelhorn, Trumpet 
Jens Engel, Trombone 
Ole Kurt Jensen, Bass Trombone 
Perry Knudsen, Flugelhorn, Trumpet 
Idrees Sulieman, Flugelhorn, Trumpet 
Vincent Nilsson, Trombone 
Ture Larsen, Trombone 
Axel Windfeld, Bass Trombone, Tuba 
Jesper Thilo, Flute, Reeds 
Per Carsten, Flute, Reeds 
Uffe Karskov, Flute, Reeds 
Bent Jaedig, Flute, Reeds 
Flemming Madsen, Flute, Reeds 
Niels Eje, English Horn, Oboe 
Bjarne Roupee, Electric Guitar 
Lilian Thornquist, Harp 
Thomas Clausen, Keyboards, Piano 
Ole Koch-Hansen, Keyboards 
Kenneth Knudsen, Keyboards 
Bo Stief, Electric Bass 
Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, Bass 
Lennart Gruvstedt, Drums 
Ethan Weisgaard, Percussion 
Eva Hess-Thaysen, Vocals

For the freeload, what colors do you wear most?

Jeff Beck & “The Grease”

 

It’s Monday, May 18th, Denise "The Grease" and I are sitting in the Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street in Chinatown having lunch eating various dim sum dishes, and drinking Anxi Tie Guanyin tea.  We’re making plans for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.  My daughters are flying out from Cali, and we're having an extended girls weekend at the beach house a.k.a "The Sandbox" out in Southampton, Long Island.   My daughters have called "The Grease", "Aunt Denise", since they were children.

After lunch, we’re walking down Canal Street headed to The Button Factory.  Along the way I buy some fruit, and we check to see what the street vendors have today, but it’s just the usual assortment of counterfeit Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, and Rolex. 



"The Grease" complains of a headache she woke up with, which we dismiss as being a result of the heatwave New York is currently in the middle of (it’s 1 PM, and my phone reads 92°F: 33°C).  She stops at a street vendor who's selling BIC lighters, buys a 3pack, reaches in to her shoulder bag, pulls out a joint and say's "This should take care of the headache!" and laughs. 

As we're walking, I take a hit and hear, "Babs I got something you're gonna love 'ova hea'!"  It's Barney, a street vendor who sometimes has interesting vinyl and CDs.  He hands me a CD and says, "It's a 'collectas' item, right?"  The CD is a sealed Hybrid SACD, of Jeff Beck's 'Truth', a reissue from 2017 on the Audio Fidelity label, which is quite the find.  I put on my not impressed face, and ask Barney, "How much?", "Twenty" replies Barney (this means he wants $15).  We do "the dance" $10—$18—$12—$15—Sold!  
Barney is such a character, straight out of a Damon Runyon story.

"The Grease" says "I can't believe how hot and thirsty I am."  Thinking we're probably both slightly dehydrated, I suggest we go into a store for some Gatorade (a sport's drink with electrolytes), which we both chug down.  When we get to my street in Tribeca, "The Grease" takes a bad step on the curb — something is not right with her.

Once back at The Button Factory, the central air conditioning is a welcome relief, we drink some water.  "The Grease" slurs a few words and laughs, but she smiles with only half her face.  I think to myself, "She's having a freaking stroke!", and I tell her "I'm calling 911". She looks a little confused and nods her head.

The ambulance arrives and a few minutes later we're at New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital.  They ask me if I am a family member, and I lie telling them "I'm her sister".  After three hours in the waiting room, I'm stressed beyond belief, a doctor comes in and tells me, "Your sister Denise had a Transient Ischemic Attack, which is basically a mini stroke.  I preformed a carotid artery angioplasty and stenting on her, and we're keeping her overnight.  She will be just fine".  A few minutes later a nurse takes me to see "The Grease".  When I see her she says, "Hi Sis!".  We laugh, and I tell her that she should stay at The Button Factory for a few days, and I'll go to her place and grab some clothes, and be back tomorrow.

When I get home I call my eldest daughter, who's an OB/GYN in Los Altos, California.  She rattles of a list of "dos and don'ts" for "The Grease" like an amphetamine fueled auctioneer.  Then we make plans for Wednesday when she and her sister arrive in New York.  Then I call "The Grease's" brother Vinny "The One", and inform him of the day's events.

The next day, I get "The Grease" back to The Button Factory, and all things considered she's in good spirits.  Early afternoon, Vinny "The One" arrives and stays a few hours, we have some laughs reminiscing about the old days in Brooklyn Heights.  After he leaves, I go into the bathroom, and leaning against the mirror is an envelope, the handwriting on it reads, "For insidental (sic) expenses, thanks Babs", the envelope contains twenty-five hundred dollars in small bills — a classic Vinny "The One" move.  Later, mutual friends stop by, and I make a Mediterranean vegetarian style dinner. 

Wednesday morning I can see a big improvement in "The Grease".  When my daughters arrive, my eldest is all business.  In her carry on bag is a stethoscope and portable blood pressure monitor, and she goes about the business of examining "The Grease", checking her meds etc. and then they play "twenty questions".  One of the questions my daughter asked was, "Do you know who the President is?" to which The Grease answered "Yes", I looked at my youngest, and we both started quietly laughing (my youngest and I are "trouble").  My youngest quips, "What round is it?", "Not funny" snapped my eldest.  I suggest we cancel going to the beach house, and my daughter says, "I'm more than happy with her condition, and she's perfectly fine to travel".  She smiles and says "We just won't take her dancing".  "Oh! A wise guy, eh?" said "The Grease" in her best Curly Howard voice—that was when I knew she was OK.  The four of us started in with "Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!"," I'm tryin' to think, but nothin' happens!", "I'm a victim of soicumstance!" and "Soitenly!".  When the girls were little they used to watch The Three Stooges with "The Grease".

So here we are, it's Sunday we're in Southampton, and having a wonderful time, and "The Grease" is back to herself.  We're staying for a few more days.

It's been one hell of a week, and I'd like to thank one and all for all your well-wishes.

Here's a link to a 24bit/88.2kHz SACD rip of Jeff Beck's 'Truth'

https://workupload.com/file/hWNa4PFuZ97

Charlie Haden - The Montreal Tapes: with Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Paul Motian

For the time being, my postings here are going to be less frequent, as Denise "The Grease" is having major health issues, and is currently hospitalized. 

The Montreal Tapes, featuring Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Paul Motian, was recorded on July 3, 1989, at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. It was released on the Verve Records label in 1997, and was produced by Ruth Cameron (Charlie's wife and manager).

During the 1989 Montreal International Jazz Festival, the organizers gave Charlie complete freedom to perform a series of concerts with various lineups.  Other entries in the Montreal Tapes series feature trios with Geri Allen, Paul Bley, and Joe Henderson, as well as his larger Liberation Music Orchestra. 

In 1989, twenty three-year-old Gonzalo Rubalcaba was a rising star in Cuba but remained largely unknown to broader Western audiences due to travel and trade restrictions.  Charlie was a fan of Gonzalo whom he had met at Havana's Jazz Plaza festival in 1986, and invited him to perform at Montreal, and the festival was able to arrange for Rubalcaba's trip from Cuba.  This served as a major global launchpad for the pianist's international career.

Charlie Haden and Paul Motian provide a solid and deeply empathetic rhythm section, while Gonzalo Rubalcaba frequently propels the music forward with lightning-fast and dazzling melodic runs.  

This standard of playing on this trio recording is right up there with Bill, Oscar, and Keith.

Link
https://workupload.com/file/7ADcSpAVnsx

See you guys soon!

Georgia Tom Dorsey - Come On Mama Do That Dance (1928-1932)

 

'Come On Mama Do That Dance (1928–1932)' is a blues compilation album featuring the early work of Thomas A. "Georgia Tom" Dorsey. Originally released as a vinyl LP in 1974 by Yazoo Records, today's freeload is a 1992 CD reissue, with improved audio.

This collection captures Georgia Tom's transformative period, transitioning from a secular "Hokum" blues pianist and songwriter to the pioneering figure who would later be widely acknowledged as the father of gospel music.  It spans the peak years of his secular career, during which he frequently collaborated with the legendary slide guitar player Tampa Red and vocalists such as Kansas City Kitty and Jane Lucas.

"If You See My Saviour" (Track 7) is a pivotal moment in American music history, that shows Georgia Tom’s early success in mixing traditional blues with gospel lyrics.  It’s kind of funny how someone who played wild, fun songs at juke-joints could also write such a song and then completely reinvent modern Black gospel music.

Initially, Georgia Tom’s upbeat spirituals were unceremoniously rejected by many churches.  This led him to remark:

"I’ve been thrown out of some 
of the best churches in America".

I just love the upbeat style of Hokum blues its risqué lyrics, double entendres, and sexual innuendo always makes me smile and sometimes makes me literally laugh out loud.

So, for the freeload, what are some of your favorite comedy albums?

Bill Evans Trio - 'Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings'

'Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings' is a 3CD set released in November 2025 on the Craft Recordings label.  Nick Phillips is the archival producer.  The historic 1959 and 1961 recording studio sessions compiled in the set were originally produced by Orrin Keepnews.

The collection includes albums 'Portrait in Jazz' and 'Explorations', in stereo and mono, plus 26 alternate takes, 17 of which are previously unreleased.  This is an intimate look at the iconic pianist Bill Evans, pioneering bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian development as a trio.

Bill Evans Trio is one of the most influential jazz groups of all time, with the Evans/LaFaro/Motian lineup taking on an almost mythical status.  The trio formed just a few months after the Bill completed the sessions for Miles Davis' landmark 1959 album 'Kind of Blue', and the trio was an instant sensation.  Their work, not unlike 'Kind of Blue', helped to redefine the sound of modern jazz. 

Bill's singular approach to the piano, marked by his use of classical-influenced impressionistic harmonies, rootless voicings, and singing melodic lines.  Along with Scott LaFaro's equally distinctive melodic bass lines and Paul Motian's elastic sense of swing.  Together they created a new kind of trio, where each member played together in a "conversational way", rather than as simple accompaniment for the pianist.

Released in 1960, 'Portrait in Jazz' introduced the trio's subtle interplay, and their renditions of standards like "Witchcraft", "Come Rain or Come Shine", and "Someday My Prince Will Come" (preceding Miles' version by a year) remain some of the most definitive versions put to record.  The same is true of 1961's 'Explorations', which featured their deeply romantic rendition of "Haunted Heart" (a jazz piano staple ever since) and found them putting their own stamp on Miles Davis songs like "Nardis" and "Israel."

CD 1:
Portrait in Jazz (Stereo)
01. Come Rain or Come Shine (Take 5, Album Master)
02. Autumn Leaves (Take 13, Stereo Album Master)
03. Witchcraft (Take 5, Album Master)
04. When I Fall in Love (Take 2, Album Master)
05. Peri's Scope (Take 2, Album Master)
06. What Is This Thing Called Love (Take 4, Album Master)
07. Spring Is Here (Take 6, Album Master)
08. Someday My Prince Will Come (Take 5, Album Master)
09. Blue in Green (Take 3, Album Master)
Alternate Takes from the Portrait in Jazz Session (Mono)
10. Witchcraft (Take 4, Alternate)
11. Witchcraft (Take 6, Alternate)
12. Spring Is Here (Take 4, Alternate)
13. Come Rain or Come Shine (Take 2, Alternate)
14. Come Rain or Come Shine (Take 4, Alternate)

CD 2:
Alternate Takes from the Portrait in Jazz Session (Mono) cont.
01. Autumn Leaves (Take 9, Mono Album Master)
02. Blue in Green (Take 1, Alternate)
03. Blue in Green (Take 2, Alternate)
04. Someday My Prince Will Come (Take 1, Alternate)
Explorations (Stereo)
05. Israel (Take 1, Album Master)
06. Haunted Heart (Take 3, Album Master)
07. Beautiful Love (Take 2, Album Master)
08. Elsa (Take 5, Album Master)
09. Nardis (Take 2, Album Master)
10. How Deep Is the Ocean (Take 3, Album Master)
11. I Wish I Knew (Take 4, Album Master)
12. Sweet and Lovely (Take 4, Album Master)
Alternate Takes from the Explorations Session (Stereo)
13. Elsa (Take 4, Alternate)
14. Elsa (Take 6, Alternate)
15. Sweet and Lovely (Take 3, Alternate)
16. Sweet and Lovely (Take 5, Alternate)

CD 3:
Alternate Takes and Outtakes from the Explorations Session (Stereo)
01. Sweet and Lovely
02. Nardis (Take 1, Alternate)
03. Beautiful Love (Take 1, Alternate)
04. I Wish I Knew (Take 2, Alternate)
05. I Wish I Knew (Take 3, Alternate)
06. I Wish I Knew (Take 5, Alternate)
07. Haunted Heart (Take 2, Alternate)
08. The Boy Next Door (Take 1, Outtake)
09. The Boy Next Door (Take 4, Outtake)
10. The Boy Next Door (Take 6, Outtake)
11. Walking Up (Take 1, Outtake)
12. How Deep Is the Ocean (Take 1, Alternate)
13. How Deep Is the Ocean (Take 2, Alternate)

If you are a Bill Evans fan you really should have this.

The audio was newly remastered by Paul Blakemore, using Plangent Processes to remove tape speed variations, resulting in dynamic sound with crisp detail. 

These recordings have never sounded better.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite "alternate takes", "outtakes" and "previously unreleased" recordings?

The Motor City Five

 

"And right now, right now, right now it's time to KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHERFUCKERS!" —Rob Tyner

Fred "Sonic" Smith, Wayne Kramer, Rob Tyner, Wayne Kramer, 
Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson and Michael Davis.

The Motor City Five, more commonly known as MC5, was a highly influential American rock band formed in 1963 in Lincoln Park, Michigan.  Regarded by many as the "godfathers of punk" who pioneered the "proto-punk" sound through a raw, high-energy fusion of hard rock, blues, and free jazz.

The band was notoriously politically radical, and performed during the 1968 Democratic National Convention riots.  They also served as the "ministers of information" and "house band" for the White Panther Party a radical, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist political collective founded in 1968 in Michigan by John Sinclair, Pun Plamondon (Lawrence Robert), and Leni Sinclair.

So for your dinning and dancing pleasure, today's freeload consists of:

'Kick Out the Jams'
(uncensored version)

Back in the USA

High Time

These Japanese SHM-CDs remasters from 2009 sound amazing, and make for a very nice upgrade.

For the freeload, let's talk about the roots of Punk Rock, from so-called "proto-punk" bands.

The Best of Little Walter (2026 Reissue)

 

'The Best of Little Walter', released in 1957 on The Chess label, is a compilation of twelve songs. Ten of these songs achieved the Top 10 position on the Billboard R&B charts between 1952 and 1955.  This is the only LP released during Little Walter's lifetime.  The Best of Little Walter is arguably, one of the most influential blues harmonica albums ever released.

Normally, I'm a not big fan of "best of" or "greatest hits" albums. There are however exceptions, and this album is one of them.

Walter revolutionized the harmonica by plugging it into a microphone and pushing it through an amp, creating a dirty, distorted tone that forever changed the sound of blues.  This compilation features some of "Little" Walter Jacobs' most iconic sides, including "Juke" (the only harmonica instrumental to ever reach the top of the Billboard R&B chart), "My Babe", "Blues With a Feeling", "Off the Wall", and more. These tracks not only set the standard but also became the benchmark for electric blues harp, influencing countless musicians.

Today's freeload, is a 24bit/192kHz vinyl rip of the reissue from the Acoustic Sounds label, released on February 20, 2026.  The audio on this is sublime, it was mastered by Matt Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original Chess tapes.  This reissue smokes.

For the freeload, what some of your favorite "best of" or "greatest hits" albums?

Eddie Palmieri & Cal T'jader – 'Bamboleate'

'Bamboleate' was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in June 1967, and released on the Tico Records label, later in the year.  It was produced by Pancho Cristal, and engineered by Fred Weinberg. The freeload is a 2007 reissue on the Fania Records label (the parent company of Tico Records).

This was the second collaboration between Eddie and Cal, which followed their 1966 album 'El Sonido Nuevo' and to my ears is the better of their collaborations.

This album is a masterpiece of the era, bridging Cal T'jader's "West Coast" cool with Eddie Palmieri's "East Coast" energy.  Together they blend Descarga (a type of improvised Cuban jazz jam session popularized in the 1950s), Salsa, and Latin jazz into a cohesive, sophisticated sound.

Along with Cal's vibraphone and Eddie's piano are:
Barry Rogers, Mark Weinstein and Julian Priester on Trombone
George Castro on Flute
Bobby Rodríguez on Bass
Manny Oquendo on Bongos
Tommy López on Congas
Kako (Francisco Bastar) on Timbales

Tracklist
1. Bamboleate
2. We’ve Loved Before
3. Resemblance
4. Mi Montuno
5. Samba Do Suenho
6. Guajira Candela
7. Pancho's Seis Por Ocho
8. Come An' Get It

This thing cooks from start to finish.

1967 was a remarkable year for music, so for the freeload, what are some of your favorite records from that year?