Artiste: Johnny Hammond
Album: Gambler’s Life
Spotlight Track: Gambler’s Life
Label: Salvation Records (1974)
The genius of the Mizell Brothers is the surefire way to make any song timeless. Compared to the other tracks coming from the 70’s period, the Mizell’s have an undeniable distinct signature to their sound, even the production level on their output is light years ahead of the competition. For example, take any Mizell masterpiece, from Bobbi Humphrey to Donald Byrd, they sound as if they’ve been made yesterday. The Mizells have truly changed the face of jazz funk and that of music in this century, inspiring the future generations of producers and musicians to come.
Johnny “Hammond” Smith, had a great career at Prestige and later at the CTI sister label, Kudu under the masterful eye of Mr Creed Taylor. “Hammond” was used in his name to avoid confusion with other musicians, John Smith or the more famous Jimmy Smith, and dropped his last name Smith on his first album on Kudu.
Johnny’s first venture with the Mizells would be on Gambler’s Life, on the subsidary CTI offshoot label, Salvation. Although Gambler’s Life did not receive as much of a cult status as the later Gears album, it definitely has struck a chord with us here at Hot-4-U. The Mizells have included their trademark layered jazz sound and the unmistakable vocal intros after the mid break, together with Johnny’s electric organ, Gambler’s Life is a journey in jazz dance nation.
I’ve chosen the title track Gambler’s Life because of its innovative introduction and for its dance-your-pants-off melody, the track’s intensity never stops, especially when the female vocals, courtesy of Stephanie Spruill kicks in… oooh damn, Kerna! Overall the entire album is great, Rhodesian Thoroughfare is just as experimental, Virgo Lady is a futuristic vision of jazz, and last track Call On Me slows things down, if not still groovy. The album has been re-released on UK label Soul Brother, with bonus tracks from his earlier Prestige albums featuring the usual suspects on the sessionists rounds, Harvey Mason, Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham, Airto, Grover Washington Jr, George Benson, Eric Gale…etc
I leave you now with the surrealistic notes in the cover sleeve from Emory Holmes:
Gamblers and Parables
so slick says to me:
bring your lady
and shoot down to the sound factory,
it’s a party,
shoot down and feel your roots and party,
and
me and my ol’ lady fly down,
in the space coupe,
before cool breezes, from sky high.
down to the ear-star lady
and her organ man,
in with their arps,
and moogs,
and jazz and things.
Tangkap This!!!
-Kenny
