ST. LOUIS RARITY REISSUED

[JSngry]

http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=45h...%3Bformat%3Dall

A long-overdue look at the mini-soul empire of Leo Gooden -- an tiny little enclave in East St Louis that was making some mighty hip music in the early 60s! Gooden wore many hats at the time -- politician, club owner, and local businessman -- but he also put together his own band and record label, and worked in a very hip mix of R&B and 60s soul jazz modes! Through his nightclub, The Blue Note, Gooden came into contact with a variety of great musicians, both national and local -- and he brought their inspiration to play on sessions recorded here for his LG family of labels -- issued on a handful of singles and two rare LPs. Although rough-edged at times, these tracks have a really great sound -- kind of a grittier take on the Prestige Records groove of the 60s -- helped out by musicians who include Oliver Nelson and Hamiet Bluiett -- and singers who include Albert King and Charles Drain. The package is a bit loose on discographical details, but definitely includes all the best moments from these mighty years on the East St Louis scene -- and the full story in the notes more than helps to fill in the gaps in Gooden's compelling tale. The titles by Leo's Five -- Gooden's group -- are all hip jazz instrumentals, often with a strong mix of Hammond, guitar, and tenor -- and these titles include "Hold It", "Sunrise Serenade", "Something You Got", "Tippin", "Johnnie Come Marching Home (Country Style)", "Minor Over Matter", "Mop Water", "Fredrick's Dream", and "Cookin With Chezie Mae". Other cuts include "COD" and "Worsome Baby" by Albert King, "So Glad" and "Stop & Think About It Baby" by Charles Drain, "Winkee Do" and "Ugly Ugly" by Leo Gooden, and "Let's Do The Cat" by Jamie Ross.

Ok, a friend of mine who bought this before it became "Temporarily Out Of Stock" sent a scan of the back cover, and a few samples. Yes this is Fred Jackson. The Fred Jackson, credits include Lloyd Price. Sounding just great, as you might expect. Oliver Nelson can be heard playing and arranging a blues single in his unmistakable style, and surely this is the first Bluiett on record, no? My friend sent three sample cuts, and they all are worth the while!

Details are sketchy, this appears to be a collection packaged with an original LP cover design and minimal additional info inside, but hey, it is what it is, and I've signed up for the notification when it comes back into stock.

Edited January 15, 2009 by JSngry

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

so fred jacksons in one of the bands on this comp? is that it?

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

i found one song: leo's five: johnnie comes marching home....is Fred on that?

[Soul Stream]

Not to let you down, but... Fred Jackson is NOT on this album. I have the original LP....Fred is pictured on the back, but there is an asterisk by the photo saying Fred joined the group AFTER the recording was made. Yeah, wish Fred were on it. That said, this is a GREAT album. I've loved it for years, DIG it....you will. Just to hear Leo Goodin's freakishly female vocalizations is worth it (he's not bad at all, pretty good. Just the picture of Leo on the back doesn't quite match the voice). Of course, this is Leo Gooden...as in Grant Green's "Gooden's Corner." Yeah, Grant played Leo's club extensively before he made it big.

[clifford_thornton]

Thanks for the reminder. I need to pick this up.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

how disapointing!!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks for posting this, Jim. Interesting. So interesting that I went onto da Barstids and added it to my want list.

And saw that one of the items in my old want list was available. I thought they e-mailed you when something in your want list came into stock. Anyway, I've now snagged a real copy of

George Freeman - Frantic diagnosis - Bamboo (Ubiquity reissue, I think - surely it can't be an original for $8.99?)

Oh wow! George and Von honking and screaming to the world!

MG

[jazzbo]

MG, on the want list there's a box to select email notification when an item comes into stock. If not selected, no notice. They changed over to that some time back.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

MG, on the want list there's a box to select email notification when an item comes into stock. If not selected, no notice. They changed over to that some time back.

Ah, I hadn't noticed. Thanks Lon.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Just corrected my want list and noticed for the first time that this "Leo's five" CD is British! And I can get one on Amazon.uk.

A bit expensive at present, but I'll watch the price for a bit.

MG

[John L]

So who is the Fred Jackson who plays on Chuck Willis' "Blow, Freddy Jackson." Not our man?

[paul secor]

Also available from CD Universe: http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6526911

Don't know how their price compares to DG's, but it's currently available there.

[ghost of miles]

Not to let you down, but... Fred Jackson is NOT on this album. I have the original LP....Fred is pictured on the back, but there is an asterisk by the photo saying Fred joined the group AFTER the recording was made. Yeah, wish Fred were on it.

I think Ace added some extra, non-LP material to this CD...maybe he's on that?

Thanks for the tip, Jim--I'm asking my local record-store guy to place an order.

[Dan Gould]

Details are sketchy, this appears to be a collection packaged with an original LP cover design and minimal additional info inside, but hey, it is what it is, and I've signed up for the notification when it comes back into stock.

Anyone who has bought Ace reissues knows that minimal additional info is rarely an accurate description. From their product page:

Although the contributions of St Louis, MO to R&B are often unfairly overshadowed by those of its near neighbour, Chicago, IL, in the late 1950s and early 60s the city was a thriving and throbbing source of all that was and still is good in black American music. From the mid 50s onwards, Leo Gooden was an important local mover-and-shaker whose Blue Note Club was the focal point for almost everything that happened on the local scene. Gooden had the attention of the Lion brothers, founders of the otherwise-unrelated Blue Note Records and he was instrumental in bring several notable future stars, including guitarist Grant Green, to their attention via the bandstand of the club.

Besides this, his own ear for talent helped Leo Gooden put together one of the best musical aggregations of its time. Assembled initially to be the house band at the Blue Note, Leo’s Five soon took on an identity of their own. The driving rhythm section of drummer Kenny Rice – who’s still working in and around St Louis today – and organist Don James was something of a prototype for the small jazz-R&B combos that sprang to prominence in the early-mid 60s, such as those of Jimmy McGriff and Jimmy Smith. In addition the hard saxophony of tenor player Charles “Little Man” Wright led a horn section to die for. The tightness of their ensemble would have been the envy of every local musical outfit – and there were some pretty big outfits in St Louis and East St Louis in those days, including those of Ike Turner and Oliver Sain.

Although they never recorded for a major label, Leo’s Five enjoy as big a 21st century reputation among fans of soul jazz, mod jazz and new breed R&B as do many groups with a considerably higher profile. This CD brings together all of the best tracks from their rare, locally pressed 1960 album, augments them with an assortment of even rarer St Louis 45s, on which they appeared billed as that perennially popular favourite “instrumental accompaniment”, and tops the whole package off with two fantastic singles where they are fronted by a true blues guitar legend – and a man who sat in with Leo’s Five many times, in his prefame days – the late, great Albert King. All of this ultra-desirable, early 60s prefunk commands small fortunes in collector circles.

With notes by British born, St Louis based blues/R&B expert Bill Greensmith, reminiscences from Kenny Rice, fabulous photos and memorabilia, this is a set that no fan of cookin’ R&B instrumentals will want to be without.

By Tony Rounce and Roger Armstrong

http://www.acerecords.co.uk/content.php?pa...mp;release=7867

[Dan Gould]

As for price, it looks like some Ace reissues have a good price, some not so much. Amazon Marketplace has some lower prices, including the dreaded Caiman.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

So who is the Fred Jackson who plays on Chuck Willis' "Blow, Freddy Jackson." Not our man?

That would be THE Fred Jackson. Both he and Chuck Willis were from Atlanta and both were active on the Atlanta scene in the early fifties. Fred also recorded with Billy Wright "the Prince of the blues" for Savoy, and with Little Richard, for RCA in the early fifties.

MG

[John L]

So who is the Fred Jackson who plays on Chuck Willis' "Blow, Freddy Jackson." Not our man?

That would be THE Fred Jackson. Both he and Chuck Willis were from Atlanta and both were active on the Atlanta scene in the early fifties. Fred also recorded with Billy Wright "the Prince of the blues" for Savoy, and with Little Richard, for RCA in the early fifties.

MG

Thanks, MG! I have those Billy Wright and Little Richard recordings as well, but never knew that Fred Jackson was on them. Is there some sort of full discography?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

So who is the Fred Jackson who plays on Chuck Willis' "Blow, Freddy Jackson." Not our man?

That would be THE Fred Jackson. Both he and Chuck Willis were from Atlanta and both were active on the Atlanta scene in the early fifties. Fred also recorded with Billy Wright "the Prince of the blues" for Savoy, and with Little Richard, for RCA in the early fifties.

MG

Thanks, MG! I have those Billy Wright and Little Richard recordings as well, but never knew that Fred Jackson was on them. Is there some sort of full discography?

Only just seen this post but I don't think so. The Route 66 issue of Billy Wright's stuff has some discographical info. I expect there's a Little Richard discography knocking about somewhere but whether it would have personnel details, I doubt. Ditto for Chuck Willis.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Well, this album turned up this morning! Zowie! What a wonderful CD!

As Jim said, it's not going to change the world - though there's one neglected masterpiece on it - "Ugly ugly", a GREAT blues song. And Leo Gooden was a much better singer than I expected.

But, for me, this is an exceptionally valuable CD; the music is so effin' REAL! If you went to your local and heard this stuff, you'd think you were in heaven!

St Louis, like Atlanta and a few other places, clearly had a thriving black music scene in the post-war period, but one that you had to leave in order to get recognition - unlike Memphis, Detroit and New Orleans.

One small error in the sleeve notes:

With the exception of Terry Williams, Lloyd Wallace and Sam Lazar, the list of organ players in the St Louis area is small.

Sorry Bill, you forgot Tommy Dean, with whom Grant Green recorded (for Vee-Jay) in 1956 (never released). Dean had a combo much like Doggett's but, whereas Doggett's band walked, Dean's FLEW!

But I'd love to hear Terry Williams and Lloyd Wallace.

Mucho thanx to Jim for unearthing this!

MG

[ghost of miles]

Smokin' CD, Jim--thanks for the rec!