Jump to content

Soul/Funk Thread


Oldsie

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 331
  • Created
  • Last Reply

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyMgsHqJBUI

 

R.I.P to Richard Evans 1932-2014

Write up courtesy of Funky16Corners

 

 

I come to you today with a heavy heart, and the news that the mighty Richard Evans has passed away.

He had been living in Massachusetts, where he’d taught at Berklee College of Music for more than two decades.

If you’ve spent any time here at Funky16Corners, either in the early days at the web zine, or over the last decade here at the blog, you know that there are few musicians I respect as much as Richard Evans.

Evans was a composer, producer, arranger and bassist who, alongside (sometimes in collaboration with) Charles Stepney created the Cadet Records sound in the 1960s.

Born in Alabama, but raised in Chicago, Evans started working as a sideman (including a stint with Sun Ra and the Arkestra), eventually making his mark at the Chess subsidiary Cadet Records.

His work as producer/arranger/composer appeared on a grip of records through the 60s by artists like Ramsey Lewis, Dorothy Ashby, Odell Brown and the Organizers, Terry Callier, Marlena Shaw, but most importantly with his pet project the Soulful Strings.

Beginning in 1966, Evans put the full weight of his talents behind the group that would create some of the most sublimely grooving music of the late 60s.

The role of arranger has generally been a behind the scenes one, with many of its most important/trailblazing figures – Fletcher Henderson, Gil Evans, Tadd Dameron etc – working in the jazz world.

The ability to ‘paint’ musically with the various voices of an ensemble to create something greater than the sum of its parts is – when done well – a truly remarkable thing.

Richard Evans was such a gifted ‘painter’.

Never losing sight of his jazz roots, Evans moved on to a more explicitly soulful platform, employing electric instruments, unusual percussive elements, and most importantly strings, to make some of the best albums that many people have never heard.

The Soulful Strings only had a single Top 40 R&B hit, 1968’s ‘Burning Spear’, yet the group proved to be very influential.

They released seven LPs between 1966 and 1971 that consistently subverted the established idea of instrumental pop, taking the music in new and often surprising directions.

Evans was also working with other artists in the Cadet stable, as well as the occasional outside project (Victor Johnson, Nolan Chance, Young Holt Unlimited), but the Soulful Strings form the core of his legacy.

The sad thing is, that outside of people who dug them the first time around, and crate diggers and soul heads, the Soulful Strings are largely unknown, their records having been out of print (and never reissued domestically as far as I can tell) since the 1970s.

Some of their 45s are easy to come by, but the LPs can prove elusive. More than once I’ve had people who loved the group tell me that they had no idea they had released seven albums.

I made reference above to arrangers being ‘painters’ of sound, and Evans was a virtuouso.

It helped that Evans had at his disposal some of the finest musicians working at the time,folks like Phil Upchurch, Donny Hathaway, Morris Jenning Jr, Cleveland Eaton, Bobby Christian and Billy Wooten among others.

Great painters will use pigments and brush strokes to recreate light and texture in ways that are interesting and pleasing to the eye. A great arranger – like Richard Evans – does much the same thing, using aural textures and dynamics to please the ear (and the mind).

Evans’ arranging ‘signature’ can be heard in string voicings and the appearance of unusual instrumentation like kalimba, or theremin, in such a way that after digesting enough of his work, a listener begins to recognize these trademarks.

Yesterday, after news of Evans death began to appear on social media, a friend posted a track that I’d never heard before, Ahmad Jamal’s 1973 cover of Foster Sylvers’ hit ‘Misdemeanor’. As soon as I played the clip, I could hear Richard Evans hand in the ‘canvas’, crisp, but grooving rhythm section, and then the strings.

The track I feature today, in memory of Richard Evans is one that I was shocked that I’d never posted here (outside of mixes) at Funky16Corners.

Dorothy Ashby, the jazz harpist who made some of the most interesting LPs in the Cadet catalog (and appeared on Soulful Strings sessions as well), recorded ‘Soul Vibrations’ in 1968.

The song, composed, arranged and produced by Richard Evans, is in many ways the finest thing he ever put his stamp on outside of the Soulful Strings.

‘Soul Vibrations’ is simultaneously head-noddingly funky, and positively avant garde.

Propelled by a throbbing acoustic bass, drums and percussion, and a jarring theremin, the palette is balanced by Ashby’s beautifully played harp, and, of course, those strings.

There are times where it sounds like a transmission from some funky corner of outer space. When I was putting together the tracks for the Mothership Mix, it was the first thing I thought to include.

I’m also reposting the Soulful Strings mix I put together back in 2007 (see below) , and you should check out the ‘All Strung Out’ mix from 2012, which features all manner of soul and funk featuring strings, including many tracks directly influenced by Evans’ work with the Soulful Strings.

As I said before, outside of the occasional comp appearance (some of them very strange, search Soulful Strings in iTunes…) these amazing records are long out of print, a problem that who ever is owns the Cadet catalog should take care of as soon as possible.

I hope you dig it all, and if the music is new to you, give it all a nice, deep listen (headphones, people!) and appreciate the genius of Richard Evans.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyMgsHqJBUI

 

R.I.P to Richard Evans 1932-2014

Write up courtesy of Funky16Corners

 

 

I come to you today with a heavy heart, and the news that the mighty Richard Evans has passed away.

He had been living in Massachusetts, where hed taught at Berklee College of Music for more than two decades.

If youve spent any time here at Funky16Corners, either in the early days at the web zine, or over the last decade here at the blog, you know that there are few musicians I respect as much as Richard Evans.

Evans was a composer, producer, arranger and bassist who, alongside (sometimes in collaboration with) Charles Stepney created the Cadet Records sound in the 1960s.

Born in Alabama, but raised in Chicago, Evans started working as a sideman (including a stint with Sun Ra and the Arkestra), eventually making his mark at the Chess subsidiary Cadet Records.

His work as producer/arranger/composer appeared on a grip of records through the 60s by artists like Ramsey Lewis, Dorothy Ashby, Odell Brown and the Organizers, Terry Callier, Marlena Shaw, but most importantly with his pet project the Soulful Strings.

Beginning in 1966, Evans put the full weight of his talents behind the group that would create some of the most sublimely grooving music of the late 60s.

The role of arranger has generally been a behind the scenes one, with many of its most important/trailblazing figures Fletcher Henderson, Gil Evans, Tadd Dameron etc working in the jazz world.

The ability to paint musically with the various voices of an ensemble to create something greater than the sum of its parts is when done well a truly remarkable thing.

Richard Evans was such a gifted painter.

Never losing sight of his jazz roots, Evans moved on to a more explicitly soulful platform, employing electric instruments, unusual percussive elements, and most importantly strings, to make some of the best albums that many people have never heard.

The Soulful Strings only had a single Top 40 R&B hit, 1968s Burning Spear, yet the group proved to be very influential.

They released seven LPs between 1966 and 1971 that consistently subverted the established idea of instrumental pop, taking the music in new and often surprising directions.

Evans was also working with other artists in the Cadet stable, as well as the occasional outside project (Victor Johnson, Nolan Chance, Young Holt Unlimited), but the Soulful Strings form the core of his legacy.

The sad thing is, that outside of people who dug them the first time around, and crate diggers and soul heads, the Soulful Strings are largely unknown, their records having been out of print (and never reissued domestically as far as I can tell) since the 1970s.

Some of their 45s are easy to come by, but the LPs can prove elusive. More than once Ive had people who loved the group tell me that they had no idea they had released seven albums.

I made reference above to arrangers being painters of sound, and Evans was a virtuouso.

It helped that Evans had at his disposal some of the finest musicians working at the time,folks like Phil Upchurch, Donny Hathaway, Morris Jenning Jr, Cleveland Eaton, Bobby Christian and Billy Wooten among others.

Great painters will use pigments and brush strokes to recreate light and texture in ways that are interesting and pleasing to the eye. A great arranger like Richard Evans does much the same thing, using aural textures and dynamics to please the ear (and the mind).

Evans arranging signature can be heard in string voicings and the appearance of unusual instrumentation like kalimba, or theremin, in such a way that after digesting enough of his work, a listener begins to recognize these trademarks.

Yesterday, after news of Evans death began to appear on social media, a friend posted a track that Id never heard before, Ahmad Jamals 1973 cover of Foster Sylvers hit Misdemeanor. As soon as I played the clip, I could hear Richard Evans hand in the canvas, crisp, but grooving rhythm section, and then the strings.

The track I feature today, in memory of Richard Evans is one that I was shocked that Id never posted here (outside of mixes) at Funky16Corners.

Dorothy Ashby, the jazz harpist who made some of the most interesting LPs in the Cadet catalog (and appeared on Soulful Strings sessions as well), recorded Soul Vibrations in 1968.

The song, composed, arranged and produced by Richard Evans, is in many ways the finest thing he ever put his stamp on outside of the Soulful Strings.

Soul Vibrations is simultaneously head-noddingly funky, and positively avant garde.

Propelled by a throbbing acoustic bass, drums and percussion, and a jarring theremin, the palette is balanced by Ashbys beautifully played harp, and, of course, those strings.

There are times where it sounds like a transmission from some funky corner of outer space. When I was putting together the tracks for the Mothership Mix, it was the first thing I thought to include.

Im also reposting the Soulful Strings mix I put together back in 2007 (see below) , and you should check out the All Strung Out mix from 2012, which features all manner of soul and funk featuring strings, including many tracks directly influenced by Evans work with the Soulful Strings.

As I said before, outside of the occasional comp appearance (some of them very strange, search Soulful Strings in iTunes) these amazing records are long out of print, a problem that who ever is owns the Cadet catalog should take care of as soon as possible.

I hope you dig it all, and if the music is new to you, give it all a nice, deep listen (headphones, people!) and appreciate the genius of Richard Evans.

 

Dorothy Ashby seems so awesome from the songs I've listened to. Soul and funk music, in general, just has such a wide array of greats - whether overwhelmingly popular or criminally underrated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...