Hank Crawford - Wildflower (1973) {1987 CBS Associated}

Hank Crawford - Wildflower (1973) {1987 CBS Associated}
EAC Rip | FLAC with CUE and log | scans | 190 mb
MP3 CBR 320kbps | RAR | 90 mb
Genre: jazz, jazz soul, jazz funk

Wildflower is the 1973 album by jazz musician Hank Crawford. This was released by the CBS Associated label in 1987, which was Columbia Records' digital output for some releases before they had a proper reissue department. This was also the first digital release for this album. The CD was manufactured in Japan.

Hank Crawford's '60s sides for Atlantic rightfully established him among the preeminent soul-jazz saxophonists. For pure phrasing and feel, Crawford was in a class by himself. When Creed Taylor kicked off CTI in 1970, he brought Crawford on board immediately. This date from 1973 – one of eight cut between 1971 and 1978 – is Crawford's strongest for the label and one of the better records of his career, though jazz purists would never agree. Produced and arranged by Bob James with a smoking cast that includes Joe Beck, Idris Muhammad, Richard Tee, and Bob Cranshaw, as well as a brass section of crack New York studio cats, Wildflower is the album Crawford had been trying to make since 1971. Recorded in two days, the band provides a slick, right, colorful platform for Crawford's melodic improvisation that is rooted in the art of the phrase. One long note held on "Mr. Blues" or a series of carefully articulated verbal feelings, such as on "Corazon," may not step out of the groove, but make it both a deeper blue and as wide as the human heart's complexity. On the title cut, with a vocal chorus in the background, Crawford turns a pop melody into a torrent of raw emotionalism and savvy groove-conscious glory. James' charts are big but never obtrusive; they point in one direction only, to bring that huge soul sound out of Crawford's alto – check out the way the melody line breaks down into the solo in Stevie Wonder's "You've Got It Bad Girl," or the backbeat arpeggio exercises in "Good Morning Heartache." This record is so hot the only soul-jazz it can be compared to in both its contemporary form and funky feel are Grover Washington's Feels So Good and Mister Magic issues. In other words, Crawford's Wildflower is indispensable as a shining example of '70s groove jazz at its best.

1. Corazon
2. Wildflower
3. Mr. Blues
4. You've Got It Bad Girl
5. Good Morning Heartache
–-
Hank Crawford-alto saxophone
Richard Tee-piano, organ
Bob Cranshaw-bass
Idris Muhammad-drums
Joe Beck-guitar
Ruben Bassini-percussion
George Devens-percussion
David Friedman-percussion
Arthur Jenkins-percussion
Phil Kraus-percussion
Ralph McDonald-percussion
Bernie Glow-trumptet, flugelhorn
Alan Rubin-trumpet
Marvin Stamm-trumpet
Wayne Andre-trombone
Paul Faulise-trombone
Tony Studd-trombone, bass trombone
Jimmy Buffington-French horn
Brooks Peyton-French horn
Bill Eaton-vocals
Hilda Harris-vocals
Randy Peyton-vocals
Maeretha Stewart-vocals


Produced by Creed Taylor
Arranged and conducted by Bob James
Recored at Van Gelder studios, June 28-29, 1973
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder

CD mastered and engineered by Frank Decker at CBS Studios, NY
Compact disc Made In Japan

• Nitroflare (FLAC)
• Nitroflare (MP3)
• Icerbox (FLAC) 
• Icerbox (MP3)