2. DVD/CD Review: Soul To Soul  

I wonder how many of you out there remember the early 1970's theatrical release entitled "Soul To Soul"? Based on my recollection, it wasn't as popular as some of it's contemporaries, probably a good number of you may remember the movie, but not actually have seen it. My original intent was to have shown this movie during our last Soul-Patrol Convention, however it wasn't available at that time, so perhaps it will be a part of our next one?

The Soul To Soul DVD/CD package is scheduled for a late August release and I was treated to a pre-release copy.

In my opinion the Soul To Soul DVD/CD package is a must have for Soul-Patrollers to own, because it is an important historical artifact of a time, place and consciousness that sadly no longer exists for most Black Americans...

HERE IS WHAT THE PR ABOUT THE DVD SAYS...

"Soul To Soul documented the monumental March 6th 1971 concert in which a host of music and cultural icons traveled from the U.S. to Ghana, West Africa to take part in a 14-hour extravaganza celebrating the 14th anniversary of Ghana's independence from British rule..."

The featured artists are:
Wilson Pickett, Santana, Ike & Tina Turner, The Staple Singers, Voices Of East Harlem, Les McCann & Eddie Harris

yada, yada, yada....

NOW HERE IS THE REAL SCOOP...

Soul To Soul is an important movie because it shows the ENORMOUS impact and influence that people like this group of 70's soul artists had on the continent of Africa and conversely the ENORMOUS impact that being in Africa had on the American artists. In other words, if you didn't quite understand what the term "African-American" was supposed to mean before seeing this movie, you will have a complete understanding after seeing it.

For example...

* Seeing perhaps the single most vilified Black American artist in history (Ike Turner), turning in a blistering guitar solo onstage, and reminding the brothas over in Africa that it is one of their own (Ike Turner/Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88 in 1951) NOT Elvis Presley in 1954 who INVENTED ROCK N' ROLL MUSIC!

* Watching the crowd in Ghana swing from side to side as they simultaneously listen to the
BLUES of Pop Staples on guitar and the GOSPEL of Mavis Staples on lead vocals, as the Staple Singers ROCK THA HOUSE

* Seeing the Voices of East Harlem onstage, remembering the famous picture of them sitting & joking on a staircase backstage with Jimi Hendrix at the Fillmore East (in one of the very few pictures that you will ever see of Jimi Hendrix actually smiling) and watching them bring smiles to the crowd in Ghana!

* Watching Santana take high falutin terminology like "Latin-Jazz-Funk-Rock", twist it, flip it, flatten it like a pancake, bring it to life and watch 100,000 Africans catch the groove of JUNGLE STRUT because it was already familiar to them!

* Watching Wilson Pickett, damn near cause a riot while performing the song "Land of 1000 Dances" (in the "Land of 1000 Dances")!

* Watching Les McCann & Eddie Harris jamming with local Ghanaian artist Amoah, who plays a drum in a fashion that recalls Magic Johnson driving the length of the court, clearly demonstrating where the power, grace and style of the very best basketball players that you have ever seen comes from!

(and that's just the onstage concert footage)

It's a real shame that Soul To Soul wasn't as popular as say Wattstax was during the same timeframe.

For example...
One of the things that caught my eye were the all too short performance by various local groups in Africa on the streets and in the countryside that are shown during the movie. This music quickly brought the music of artists like Ladysmith Black Mazambo to my mind and made me walk away thinking that this type of music SHOULD have become popular with Americans long before Paul Simon came out with the album "Graceland".

MORE PR:

"Disc one contains the 95-minute, full-length feature film and has been newly remastered and restored from the original 35mm negative by the Grammy Foundation. Disc two contains the original soundtrack CD expanded to over 60 minutes of music including performances not seen in the film. The remastered Soul To Soul is presented in 5.1 surround sound and is restored from the original 35 mm negative. There are 15 classic performances (along with a new version of the title song done by Earl Thomas), in addition to four separate commentary tracks, including Mavis Staples, Les McCann, Ike Turner, Santana drummer Michael Shrieve and more. Other special features include a bonus performance of Ike & Tina Turner's risqué version of "I've Been Loving You Too Long" salvaged from the cutting room floor, and a 24-page booklet with an essay by Grammy-award-winning author Rob Bowman, featuring newly discovered photos from artists and crew "

THE REAL DEAL:

Black Americans need to own a copy of the Soul To Soul DVD/CD package because they NEED to show it to their children in the comfort of their own homes so that they can answer questions like...

* How come Black Americans today aren't as conscious of their African heritage as they were in 1971?
* How come Black popular music today isn't as connected to it's African roots as it was in 1971?

And then, as they shed a tear of shame, those Black adults can describe in as much detail as they can muster up, the who, what, when, why, where and how, the story of how a culture and the people who created it have been destroyed.
(on both sides of the Atlantic)

I can't think of a better way to teach younger people about what has indeed been lost over the past 25 years or so. Maybe if they can begin to understand that loss, then they can also understand the role that they are absolutely required to play in bringing new life into that culture?

--Bob Davis

3. CD Reviews: Morris Pleasure, Daniel Austin, Eloise Laws, Eddie Hazel, Vernon Reid, Larry Coryell, Rio Soul, Jacksons, Byron Woods

* DANIEL AUSTIN - CONFIDENCE IN YOU
Neo Soul/Dance/Funk

Confidence In You, is a very interesting and diverse CD from Daniel Austin. This album actually has two very distinct personalities. It starts out with a Stevie Wonderish/Donnie Hathawayish type of 'neo soul' type groove for the first half of the CD and then all of the sudden BUSTS out (starting at track 7) with a Funk Groove called POINT & CLICK which is reminiscent of the song by Prince from Emancipation called 'E-Male'. The CD then takes off into a seriously Funky groove that could easily be played non stop at a house party or a club. So therefore if it was an LP some people would love the first side and some people would love the second side. Put on one side to chill with on a Saturday night before going out and put on the second side once you get to the party. What more could you want?

* MORRIS PLEASURE - ELEMENTS OF PLEASURE
Jazz/Soul

This solo effort by the former member of Earth, Wind and Fire is one of the best CD's I've heard this year. It's an all-star cast including Philip Bailey, Maxayn, Larry Dunn, Boney James, Sheldon Reynolds, Pebo Bryson, Sheena Easton, Micheal McDonald and Soul-Patrol's very own love man WILL WHEATON. It's 'grown folks music' that you can place right next to your favorite albums from CTI from back in the day.

* ELOISE LAWS - SECRETS
Jazz/Sultry Soul

Slip this thing in your CD player on a mellow Saturday night right after your favorite Barry White disc. This veteran singer from the legendary LAWS family (Ronnie, Hubert, Eloise & Debra) has been delighting us for many years. It should be interesting to see if it gets the airplay it deserves in an era where the face of Jazz vocals is increasingly dominated by a whole generation of 'wannabees'.

* VERNON REID & MASQUE - KNOWN UNKOWN
Funk/Jazz/Rock/WRVR

Finally the former guitarist of the legendary Living Colour delivers on the promise that his "solo career" has always had the potential for. Teaming up with Hank Schroy (bass) and Leon Gruenbaum (keyboards) Marlon Browden (Drums) and DJ Logic, Reid delivers the kind of "gonorrhea burnin" type of JAZZ FUNK that yours truly has been missing since the mid 1970's.
This is a CD that you can play right along with your old Miles Davis, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc CD's. I would love to see this band perform live and have a '1970's flashback'.


* LARRY CORYELL - TRICYCLE
Funk/Jazz/Rock/WRVR

Betcha didn't know that something called 'WRVR' was a 'style', did ya?
Well if you are a person who lived in NYC during the mid 1970's you already know what WRVR is (was). WRVR was quite simply the GREATEST jazz radio station I have ever heard. It was such a great radio station, because it totally destroyed and reconstructed just what the exact meaning of jazz was. In other words it was following the lead of Miles Davis himself at that time and bringing jazz into the modern era. Sadly WRVR said goodbye to the commercial airways during the late 1970's and I have been crying ever since. This new CD by one of the pioneers of Jazz-Funk, Larry Coryell called 'Tricycles' would have been right at home on the play list of WRVR. It's fresh, funky and serious. Larry is joined by Paul Wertico (drums) and Mark Egan (bass). Don't even think twice, just buy it and be transported back to the world of WRVR.

* RIO SOUL - THE CURE
Funk/Soul/Rock

THE CURE is the long awaited follow up to Rio Soul's debut CD called "Rhythms of the Soul”, that proved to be so popular here on Soul-Patrol over the past few years. Rio Soul just completed an east coast swing, including being featured at the 2004 Soul-Patrol East Coast Convention. The new CD is off the chain!
Stay tuned for more... but in the meantime, go to their newly updated site for a sneak preview...www.riosoul.com

* EDDIE HAZEL - GAMES, DAMES AND GUITAR THANGS
Funk/Rock/Mind Bending Cosmic Slop

Legendary solo album from the original MAGGOT BRAIN, the late Eddie Hazel, lead guitarist of Funkadelic. After the death of Jimi Hendrix, if you were looking for his 'replacement' in the 1970's, it was pretty much a choice between Eddie Hazel and Ernie Isley.
If you are a "PARLIAMENT fan" stay away from this CD. However if you are a FUNKADELIC fan, then you will want to have this CD at any price, so that you can play it in all of it's 'black light brilliance'.
(and if you don't know the difference, you haven't been paying attention to Soul-Patrol)
Newly reissued by Rhino (in a limited run of 5,000 copies), this is an album that I have been asked about at least once/month since 1996 and it has been selling as a bootleg on the internet for over 100 dollars.
So what do I think of this CD?
I was a FUNKADELIC fan, and I am typing this via black light...

* THE JACKSONS STORY
Funk/Soul

When I opened up this CD, the first thing I said to myself was:
'Does the world really need another Jackson Five Compilation...'
(and then the inevitable happened)
As soon as that immediately recognizable piano groove that starts 'I Want You Back' came on it brought a smile to my face. That was quickly followed by 'ABC', ''The Love You Save', 'Mama's Pearl', 'Never Can Say Goodbye' and all of the rest, in exactly the sequence that you would expect.

Then right at track number 11 it hits me why this CD Compilation makes sense...
'Let's Get Serious' - Jermaine Jackson, 'Enjoy Yourself' - Jacksons, 'Show You The Way To Go' - Jacksons (backed by MFSB).

Oh there is more...
Blame it on the Boogie', 'Shake Your Body Down To The Ground'....
Then I open up the book that comes with the CD and I can see that there are some great pictures in there not only of the early Jackson Five, but these are juxtaposed against some equally great pictures of the Jacksons from the late 70's and early 80's..
'Lovely One', 'This Place Hotel', Can You Feel It', 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough', 'Billie Jean'...

Then I look at the liner notes and it all starts to become clearer as to why we need this compilation...
Many of the songs that had always assumed were Micheal Jackson singles are actually JACKSON FAMILY PRODUCTIONS, with various members of the Jackson family sharing production and songwriting duties. This CD is in effect a document that illustrates the total vision that a man named Joseph Jackson had for his sons as an entertainment entity. It's a vision that ALL Black Americans shouldn't ever forget about. That vision is in effect the same one that white people have with respect to Elvis Presley

The CD ends with 'Billie Jean' and maybe that's a good place for this particular chapter of the JACKSONS STORY to end?
My feeling is that the final acts of this script have yet to be written and when they are, then the story can be picked up

* BYRON WOODS - IN THE LAND OF SMOOTH
Soul/Slow Jams

This is just a nice album of BLACK AMERICAN STANDARD MUSIC from Mr. Byron Woods. It pays homage to some of the classics of the past ('Payback Is A Dog', 'Can This Be Real', He Can't Love You') and it's got some great originals such as 'In The Land Of Smooth', If It Takes All Night', 'So Good' and others. This is the type of album that we should be hearing on modern day 'urban contemporary' formatted radio stations, but don't. Hopefully some of those programming geniuses will take a listen to this CD and wake up?

--Bob Davis

4. Upcoming Show: Will Wheaton @ the Gardena Jazz Festival

Hey everybody, we're playing at the 2nd annual Gardena Jazz Festival this Sunday August 29th. I'm asking everyone who will come out to please do so. If you can't make it out please forward this email to someone who may want to come. Don't forget to send us all the positive vibes you can send around 2pm on Sunday if you can't be there......The information is listed below. Much love


Sunday August 29th 2004
Rowley Park, 13220 S. Van Ness
Gardena, CA.

Festival is from 12-7pm Will Wheaton Showtime 2pm

Come hang out with us we'll be looking for ya.....

Peace & Blessings,

--Will Wheaton
www.WillWheaton.com

5. Obituary: Bertrand (Bernard) Odom

Bertrand (Bernard) Odom, a member of the famed James Brown Orchestra at its height in the 1960s and one of the most influential bassists of the last 40 years, died of kidney failure at a Mobile, Alabama, hospital on Tuesday, August 17, 2004. A native of Monroe County, Alabama, and a resident of Mobile, Mr. Odom was 72.

Mr. Odom's best known recordings include the landmark Top 10 hits "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag," "Cold Sweat" and "I Got The Feelin'." Though he stopped recording with Brown band in the late Sixties, he remained a member of the Brown entourage until health complications forced him to retire in 1998. Mr. Odom also performed with Maceo Parker's Band for several years.

While living in Brooklyn, NY, Mr. Odom served as vice president of the Board of Directors for Youth Development Organization, Inc., New York, NY. He was also manager of "The Last Remark" singing group and several gospel groups in Brownsville, NY.

Before joining the Brown band Mr. Odom served in the United States Army and Navy.

After his retirement Mr. Odom moved back to Mobile, Alabama. He joined Bethel A.M.E. church and became the bass player for the youth choir. He also played occasionally with the local Joe Morris Band and in jam sessions for fun with other local musicians.

He is survived by one son, Norman Odom, Brooklyn NY ; one daughter, Elsie Sawyer, Mobile, Alabama ; a brother, Mose Odom, Brooklyn, NY, two devoted sisters, Lillian Lousie Dunn, and Mrs Vernetta (Charles) Greene both of Mobile, Alabama; a devoted ex-wife Ms. Annette McCoy, Brooklyn, NY; four grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, August 25th, at Bethel A.M.E. church, in Mobile.
Interment will follow at Magnolia Cemetery.