Melvin Jackson - Funky Skull
Dusty Groove, a Chicago record store of the highest caliber specializing in rare grooves from the US and abroad, has now spawned a label focusing on Essential Reissues (their name)that haven't seen the light of day in many years for one reason or another. Their first batch of reissues includes Brazilian legend Jorge Ben's Forca Bruta, brilliant jazz harpists Dorothy Ashby's The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby, and last but not least, Melvin Jackson, bassist of Eddie Harris fame, and his Funky Skull. I've picked up all of them and they're three for three in my opinion. Here's my take on the Melvin Jackson entry in the series.
The opening title track Funky Skull features the first of two lineups that appear on the album, with Melvin Jackson playing upright bass, heavily filtered through a Maestro G2 box, boomerang, and echo-plex, Phil Upchurch on Fender bass (he also plays guitar on a later track), Morris Jennings on drums, Bobby Pittman and James Tatu on tenor, Donald Towns and Tom Hall on trumpet, Pete Cosey on guitar and Tobie Wynn on baritone. It's a rollicking funky groove akin to Cold Duck Time later on the album (which has the same lineup), with the distinguishing feature that sets it apart from similar recordings in the idiom being Melvin Jackson taking the lead on his affected upright that comes out sounding like a duck that smokes 3 packs a day.
If the rest of the album followed in this vein, it would be a solid, if not revolutionary funk record released in 1969. However, the second track, Ma She's Makin' Eyes At Me makes it clear that things are headed in a different direction. Once again featuring Mr. Jackson's bass quackery playing a melody over some heavily reverberated drums for a short 0:51, it acts a segue to the other world explored on the album, which has a large part to do with the other lineup.
Bold & Black brings a new band to the table, with Melvin again on acoustic bass, augmented by AACM stalwarts Jodie Christian on piano/hammond/echo-plex, Lester Bowie on trumpet/flugelhorn, Roscoe Mitchell on alto/baritone/flute, Leo Smith on trumpet/flugelhorn, and in addition Byron Bowie on tenor sax/flute, Steve Galloway on trombone, Maurice Miller on voices, and Billy Hart (!) on drums.
Now this is getting interesting.
Bold & Black is an Eddie Harris tune, one of a few that Jackson plays on the album. This one has a real laid back easy groove with tight horn backgrounds from the horn section, with each player taking some creative deviations from from the part, keeping their AACM street cred. Melvin Jackson improvises over almost the entire tune alongside Maurice Miller's passionate cries and singing, which help place the time of the recording with its pleas for Black pride and identity.
Now that the album's off the beaten track bona fides are certified, the second lineup takes on a Ken Chaney (of Young Holt Unlimited fame) tune called Dance of the Dervish that opens with Melvin Jackson's heavily echo-plexed bass, piano, drums, and some sublime backup singing to some uncredited female singers. With muted trumpets and the distant mixing of the piano to create some serious depth, there's an eerie quality early on in the track that gives way to some free improv with Melvin Jackson's echoey bass and some serious echo on some background vocals. Definitely in the space-dub-free-jazz realm, with the band eventually coming around and back to the melody.
Cold Duck Time is another funky workout with the first lineup, followed by three more tracks with the AACM heavy grouping. Say What features Mr. Jackson for much of the tune, and a nice Roscoe Mitchell blowing session over the laid back groove from the band. Funky Doo follows the same basic format that has now been established, which is Melvin Jackson being featured with tight horn arrangements accompanying him, with some vocal calls to do the funky doo.
This is a great album and certainly a recording that could have only happened at the unique time and place that was Chicago in 1969, with the AACM in bloom and the Cadet sound of Ramsey Lewis and Earth, Wind and Fire laying the grooves down in another part of town. This meeting of the two worlds through the work of Melvin Jackson is truly a treat. If Dusty Groove keeps unearthing gems like this, we have some great sounds to look (hear?) forward to.
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