Melvin Sparks • Legends of Acid Jazz

Review by Jim Todd

Melvin Sparks' Grant Green and George Benson influences are the basis of a style that can drift into licks playing, but typically pushes into more heady territory. The spectrum of the veteran soul-jazz guitarist's abilities is well covered in this satisfying compilation of his first two releases as a leader: 1970's Sparks! and 1971's Spark Plug. The important action here plays out between Sparks and organists Leon Spencer (six tracks) and Reggie Roberts (four tracks). Drummer Idris Muhammad piles on a relentless attack that makes no concession to subtlety, although some tracks could have benefited from a more varied and nuanced approach. The horn parts are mostly redundant, providing commentary where none is required. Similarly, the solo contributions of tenor players Houston Person, John Manning, and Grover Washington and trumpeter Virgil Jones play a secondary role to the guitar-organ-drums axis. While some tracks dissipate their energies before they are done, the longest track, an 11-minute version of the Eric Burdon & War hit "Spill the Wine," is a highlight. The other key tracks are a cool treatment of Sly Stone's "Thank You"; Sparks' originals "Spark Plug," "Conjunction Mars," and "Dig Dis"; and the compilation's jazzier side revealed on the standards "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and "Alone Together." These six tracks account for most of the CD's 75-plus minutes, making it quite manageable for the listener to work around the occasional stretches of funky filler that crop up elsewhere on the release.

///////

Revisión por Jim Todd

Las influencias de Grant Green y George Benson de Melvin Sparks son la base de un estilo que puede derivar en el juego de licks, pero que normalmente empuja a un territorio más embriagador. El espectro de las habilidades del veterano guitarrista de soul-jazz está bien cubierto en esta compilación satisfactoria de sus dos primeros lanzamientos como líder: ¡Sparks de los 70! y la bujía de 1971. La acción importante aquí se desarrolla entre Sparks y los organistas Leon Spencer (seis pistas) y Reggie Roberts (cuatro pistas). El baterista Idris Muhammad se enfrenta a un ataque implacable que no hace concesiones a la sutileza, aunque algunas pistas podrían haberse beneficiado de un enfoque más variado y matizado. Las partes de la bocina son en su mayoría redundantes, proporcionando comentarios donde no se requiere ninguna. Del mismo modo, las contribuciones en solitario de los tenoristas Houston Person, John Manning y Grover Washington y el trompetista Virgil Jones desempeñan un papel secundario en el eje guitarra-órgano-batería. Mientras que algunas pistas disipan sus energías antes de que terminen, la canción más larga, una versión de 11 minutos del éxito de Eric Burdon & War "Derrame el vino", es un punto culminante. Las otras pistas clave son un tratamiento genial de "Gracias" de Sly Stone; Los originales de Sparks "Spark Plug", "Conjunction Mars" y "Dig Dis"; y el lado jazzier de la compilación reveló los estándares "No sabía qué hora era" y "Solo juntos". Estas seis pistas representan la mayoría de los más de 75 minutos del CD, lo que lo hace bastante manejable para que el oyente trabaje en los ocasionales estiramientos de relleno funky que surgen en otra parte del lanzamiento.

Tracklist
1 Thank You (Falettin' Me Be Mice Elf Again) 8:08
2 I Didn't Know What Time It Was 6:35
3 Charlie Brown 5:55
4 The Stinker 7:00
5 Spill The Wine 11:10
6 Who's Gonna Take The Weight 9:20
7 Spark Plug 8:50
8 Conjunction Mars 8:11
9 Alone Together 4:14
10 Dig Dis 6:45

Total Time 76:40.

Credits
Drums – Idris Muhammad
Guitar – Melvin Sparks
Organ – Leon Spencer* (tracks: 1 to 6), Reggie Roberts (tracks: 7 to 10)
Saxophone [Tenor] – Grover Washington, Jr. (tracks: 6 to 10), Houston Person (tracks: 3, 4), John Manning (tracks: 1 to 5)
Trumpet – Virgil Jones

Recorded At – Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Recorded At Englewood Cliffs, NJ; September 14, 1970 (#1 to 5), March 1, 1971 (#6), and March 8, 1971 (#7 to 10).
#1 to 5 Originally Released As "Sparks!" (Prestige 10001); #6 to 10 As "Spark Plug" (Prestige 10016).

Melvin Sparks ‎– Melvin Sparks
Label: Prestige ‎– PRCD-24171-2
Series: Legends Of Acid Jazz –
Released: 1996
Style: Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Funk

note: for cover and back cover download images.
nota: para tapa y contratapa descargar imágenes.






MORE Melvin Sparks ...

This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive after reading it.
thank for the original uploader

 

Tip: Use JDownloader