Thursday, October 9, 2008

CD of the Day - "Joe Sample & David T. Walker"

CD of the Day
Joe Sample & David T. Walker: "Swing Street Cafe" (Verve) 2008
Produced by Crusaders Prod. (Sample, Stix Hooper & Wilton Felder) for the MCA label in 1978, it's being reissued with digipack cover on Verve's "Originals" series.
Reissue supervised by Harry Weinger and remastered (very crystal clear sound) by Kevin Reeves at Universal Mastering Studios-East.
Featuring: James Jamerson Sr. on bass, Earl C. Palmer Sr. on drums plus a horn section comprised of Herman Riley, Albert Aarons, John Kelson & Ernie Fields Jr. But the real star of the set, despite Sample's great piano playing, is guitar ace David T. Walker.
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The CD is currently available at DustyGroove.
Their comments:
"A surprising turn towards the past for these two fusion heavyweights -- a set that has both Joe Sample and David T Walker reprising a host of older R&B classics! The album was handled by the Crusaders' production team, and it's still got a few elements of that side of the spectrum -- but the set is mostly stripped-down and spontaneous, with an attempted rootsy feel overall -- at least from the perspective of the early 80s jazz funk mainstream. The main focus is on Sample's keyboards and Walker's guitar -- and there's a bit of horns mixed in with the tunes as well, but never too much. Titles include "Honky Tonk", "After Hours", "Rockhouse", "Next Time U See Me", and "Hallelujah I Love Her So"."

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