It Sure Is

Bobby Timmons, like most jazz musicians, students of the humanities, and residents of the American Midwest, died frustrated and alone. Another little-known veteran of the soul-jazz era, Timmons hit his stride as pianist with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the late fifties and early sixties. Though an exceedingly able bandleader, Blakey was also an infamous enabler, and when Timmons found himself unfairly typecast as “just another soul player,” the group’s drug and alcohol-laden atmosphere did little to alleviate his crushing depression. Over the next ten years, Timmons struggled to achieve the same level of success he had with Blakey, but never managed to recapture his prior notoriety.

Bobby Timmons died from cirrhosis of the liver in 1974.

Dat Dere (1), This Here (2), This Here is Bobby Timmons, Riverside, 1960

Though both tracks were originally written for The Jazz Messengers and The Cannonball Adderley Sextet, respectively, Timmons cut these particular recordings as leader of his own trio. Orrin Keepnews, author of the liner notes to This Here is Bobby Timmons, and possessor of what may be the worst name I’ve ever heard, had this to say about Dat Dere: “...[a] shouter with just a suggestion of a Latin strain to it.” I don’t particularly feel like writing a pithy description of This Here, either, so here’s something Cannonball Adderley said. "[It’s] simultaneously a shout and a chant" and related to "the roots of soul church music."

Note: Files (Dat Dere on top, This Here on bottom) only seem to play in Firefox.

--Chris C

She Blue Me Good

Blue Mitchell is prized by fans for his unapologetically bluesy (har), soulful, and funky style. Unfortunately, his generally high level of accessibility has led some of jazz’ finger-snapping, neck-bearded “cognoscenti” to dismiss Mitchell as a lightweight, but that won’t stop us from enjoying him. A Florida native, Blue started out with R&B singer Chuck Willis, and was subsequently picked up by Cannonball Adderley in the late fifties. From there, he went on to have a hand in just about every iconic soul jazz group of the sixties and seventies, most notably with Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver, and even Ray Charles.
He died of cancer in 1979.

Fungii Mama, The Thing to Do, Blue Note, 1964—a soulful Caribbean tune from Blue’s sophomore Blue Note album, and one of his best-known compositions. It’s a deceptively simple track, and careful listeners will notice the modified rhythm changes (from Gershwin’s standard "I’ve Got Rhythm," further popularized as a bop vehicle by Charlie Parker) that underpin the whole affair.

HNIC, Bantu Village, Blue Note, 1969—cut towards the beginning of Blue’s sometimes-lamented foray into funk. For this album, Mitchell collaborated with then-prominent South African musician and funksman extraordinaire, Hugh Masekela (his son, Sal Masekela, hosts The E! Network’s Daily 10, a “fast-paced, hosts-driven, topical entertainment news show with attitude that recaps the top ten entertainment stories of the moment.” America!). While the flute may leave it sounding a bit dated, there's an undeniable groove.

Bonus Video!

"Senor Blues"

The Horace Silver Quintet, featuring Blue Mitchell

--Chris C