SOUL JAZZ RECORDS
Various Artists (Soul Jazz Records Presents) - Black Jazz Records: The Best Of Black Jazz Records Various Artists (Soul Jazz Records Presents)
This album brings together some of the finest music ever released on Black Jazz Records which in its short four-year history between 1971 and 1975, released over 20 superlative albums which all successfully blending spiritual jazz, funk and soul jazz of the highest calibre.
Similar to other independent jazz labels at the time including Strata-East Records and Tribe Records, Black Jazz focussed on a number of key artists, most of whom first established their career during this period, and all of whom are featured here.
Featuring The Awakening, Doug Carn, Walter Bishop, Chester Thompson, Kellee Patterson and more.
Black Jazz Records was founded in Oakland, California, by pianist, Gene Russell, and percussionist, Dick Schory.The label released twenty albums between 1971 and 1975.
Artists who recorded for Black Jazz Records included Cleveland Eaton (bassist for Ramsey Lewis), keyboardists, Doug Carn and Chester Thompson, vocalist, Kellee Patterson, saxophonist, Rudolph Johnson, bassist, Henry Franklin, and spiritual fusion group, The Awakening.
The label was distributed and financed by Ovation Records, based in Chicago.Schory founded Ovation in 1969, shortly after leaving RCA.Schory was a Grammy-nominated percussionist who was also known for his development of the stereo recording techniques including Dynagroove, and RCA Victor’s Stereo Action.Schory also pioneered quadrophonic sound, and a number of Black Jazz Records were in quadrophonic and other formats such as ¼” tape and 8-track.
Black Jazz launched in 1971 with Gene Russell’s ‘New Direction’.Russell was the creative force behind the label, acting as producer, engineer and A&R and focussed on developing new solo artists.The most successful of these was Doug Carn, who released four albums featuring his wife, Jean Carn, as vocalist.She later changed her name to Jean Carne and became a successful soul singer signed to Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International empire.
Singer Kellee Patterson gained notice as the first black Miss Indiana in 1971, before recording ‘Maiden Voyage’, her debut album for the label.Keyboardist Chester Thompson would go on to join Tower of Power and later Santana.The Awakening featured top veteran musicians from Chicago - the only Chicago group signed to the label.Drummer and percussionist Arlington Davis Jr, bassist Reggie Willis, flautist and tenor saxophonist Richard (Ari) Brown and trumpeter Frank Gordon were all members of the Association for The Advancement of Creative Musicians.Trombonist Steve Galloway and Ken Chaney were part of Philip Cohran and The Artistic Ensemble.
Black Jazz Records released 20 or so superlative albums in a four-year period, all successfully blending spiritual jazz, funk and soul jazz.This album brings together some of the finest music released by the label in its short four-year history, closing its doors finally in 1975.
Track List
2. Doug Carn - Higher Ground
3. Calvin Keys - Aunt Lovely
4. Roland Haynes – Eglise
5. The Awakening – Slinky
6. Walter Bishop, Jr. – Coral Keys
7. Rudolph Johnson – Diswa
8. Henry Franklin – Blue Lights
9. Kellee Patterson – Maiden Voyage
10. Chester Thompson – Powerhouse
11. The Awakening – March On
12. Walter Bishop, Jr. – Soul Village
13. Rudolph Johnson – The Highest Pleasure
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Product information
Shipping
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Pre-orders
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On the subject of pre-orders, please note than release dates can change (sometimes not until the scheduled release date). Please keep an eye on our website
Returns
Returns Procedure
If you wish to cancel or return an order, you need to notify us by email (quoting your order number), and wait for us to get back to you before returning goods.
We will email you with instructions and a returns reference number. When returning items to us, you will need to take reasonable care to ensure they are not damaged in transit and that they are labelled clearly with the correct address & reference number (as provided by us) :
Relevant Record Café,
260 Mill Road
Cambridge,
CB1 3NF.
We reserve the right to not process returns sent to us without prior permission.
It’s your responsibility to retain possession and to take reasonable care of the goods in the period prior to return and until you send them back to us.
Your Right To Cancel An Order
Your right to cancel your order starts from the moment you place the order, and ends 14 days from the time you receive your order.
Non-Faulty Products
If you wish to return a product because it’s unwanted or it was ordered in error, please follow the returns procedure (see above).
We’ll happily accept a return as long as the product is still in its original shrink-wrapped packaging and is completely undamaged. You have 14 days from when you receive your order to notify us that you wish to return your order.
By opening a sealed product in any way (or using any digital download code accompanying your order), you waive your right to cancel or return your order.
Obviously we’d rather offer you store credit (in the form of a gift card), but if you’d prefer a refund, we promise to get this sorted within 14 days of receiving your return.
Please take care when ordering!
Faulty Products
If you believe you have purchased a faulty or damaged record, please follow the returns procedure (see above).
Once we receive your record, it will be tested by a member of staff in store.
If your record is deemed as faulty, you will be entitled to a refund, swap or store credit (to the same value as your initial purchase).
If this record is not deemed as faulty, we will not cover any additional postage and packaging costs incurred by either you or us, and we will not be able to offer you a refund, store credit or swap.
Basically, please be absolutely certain the record you have purchased is faulty before following the returns procedure. If possible, we suggest testing the record on different turntables and weighting the tone arm differently.
Steepletone and Crosley Record Players
After having several “faulty” records returned to us (that in actuality had nothing wrong with them), we cannot guarantee that any records we sell will play correctly Crosley or Steepletone branded record players.