Tyrone Washington -- "Do Right" (circa 1974)

[Rooster_Ties]

Never in a million years did I expect this to be released on CD. From you-know-who...

Tyrone Washington -- Do Right . . . CD . . .

Upcoming Release -- Around March 3, 2006: Hit the 'Send Request' button to receive an email notice when the item arrives.

Very nice record that differs greatly from Tyrone Washington's other albums, all of which were a bit more avant garde than this one. This session, recorded for the obscure New Jersey label Labor, features Idris Muhammad on drums, Renee McLean on alto, and Hubert Eaves on electric piano. It's got a smooth sweet funky sound, with a bit of a soul jazz spiritual tip, and the sound is a great match for Tyrone's tenor, which never quite hits it for us in the avant garde moments. Tracks inlcude "Land Of Eternity", "Paradise", "Brother Man", and "Universal Spiritual Revolt", which is a bit "out" there.

Especially when what NEEDS to be on CD is Tyrone's "Roots" from about one year before -- which is a fantastic album!!

"Do Right" has a few moments (from what I remember), but "Roots" is da shit!!

Edited April 13, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[clifford_thornton]

What about the "avant-garde train wreck?" I'm still waiting for that one, even a bootleg.

[Rooster_Ties]

I think we'll see some of the Trainwreck session released as bonus material when BN (edit: eventually) does a Conn of Natural Essence.

Hell, we've seen a ton of previously unreleased Andrew Hill come out -- including some arguably "rough" dates that even as recently as 3 or 4 years ago we probably all thought we'd never get to hear.

Thing is, we need to pepper Michael with requests for the Trainwreck. And we need to start a letter-writing campaign about it, I tell ya!!

Edited April 4, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[clifford_thornton]

Are they doing a Conn of Natural Essence? I have the LP but would, of course, buy the CD to get some insane extra material...

[bertrand]

I'm surprised they didn't say the lovely Renee McLean. Sheeesh...

Bertrand.

[clifford_thornton]

Is she related to Jackie?

[Rooster_Ties]

Are they doing a Conn of Natural Essence? I have the LP but would, of course, buy the CD to get some insane extra material...

I should have said "when BN inevitably does a Conn" of Natural Essence (which I personally think inevitably they will do).

But alas - I have no insider information (not even one scrap), about the status of Natural Essence being on (or off) the radar of MC -- or anything about him considering (or not considering) the release of any or all of the Trainwreck session.

I still think we should do a letter writing campaign. Seriously.

Edited April 4, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[clifford_thornton]

Considering how fucked-up their thinking was (and still is) on the Sam Rivers material... I wouldn't hold your breath. But if it means scuttling another groover, I'm all for trying!

[Rooster_Ties]

Calling Jim Sangry -- since I mailed you my original LP of this a few years ago, would you mind digging it out and doing a review of "Do Right"?? I'd be interested in your impressions. I've still got a burn of it that I'll dig out too, but I haven't spun it in ages.

My memory is that, overall, it's a pretty darn cheesy release (and I mean REALLY cheesy) -- without even all that much soloing (or at least not much that was notable, that I can remember).

But seeing Renee McLean's and Idris Muhammad's names in the credits now (which I had totally forgotten about), has my interest piqued again. And since my first listen to "Do Right" about 3 years ago - I've warmed to a number of sessions I might have previously written off as being overly "cheesy".

PAGING JIM SANGRY.

Edited January 24, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Stefan Wood]

I have a copy of this floating around, and I remember it being really cheesy as well. Not very memorable, especially in light of his other albums.

[Rooster_Ties]

...especially in light of his other albums.

That's for damn sure.

Edit: But maybe if I lower my expectations, there's more there than meets the eye/ear. I still can hardly believe that both Renee McLean and Idris Muhammad were on this thing -- cuz that should have been a monster group. Time to dig out my burn (oh where did I see it last??), and see what's there first hand.

Edited January 24, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[bertrand]

I hate to sound nit-picky, but it's Rene McLean - he's a guy.

Bertrand.

[couw]

I hate to sound nit-picky, but it's Rene McLean

yes, but the linernotes to Do Right refer to him as Renee

[bertrand]

Who wrote these liner notes?

Bertrand.

[Rooster_Ties]

Couw may be refering to the sales-blurb that came from Dusty's website (which I quoted in the first message). The name is certainly mispelled there.

Don't know about the album itself. Sangry has my original LP, so at least one of us (Jim) can check if anyone is curious how it's spelled there.

[couw]

the actual liner notes are by Kent Cooper and Tyrone. But there is a "table" with tunes and players, listing which instrument is played by whom on which track. There René is referred to as Renee.

[JSngry]

Cheesey it might be, but it's totally sincere. Black Nationalism goes away with The Age Of Aquarius for a Love-In Of The Mind.

Truthfully, I dig it. It's not "great" by any stretch of the imagination, and calling something like this "good" is a purely subjective call. The "production values" are rough, the "messages" are incredibly naive (but again, sincere), and at times, the combination is "embarassing", or at least unintentionally campy. Of course, if you "weren't there", it probably just sounds silly. But I was - and yes, it sounds a bit silly to me too, but not just silly.

A lot of cats in "the community" were doing stuff like this back in the day, this Trying To Reach The People With A Positive Message thing. We can all laugh/cringe at it today, but there's far worse things to do with music. This kind of thing is exponentially less cynical than is a young cat of today attempting to build a career off of playing retrobop thinking that it's somehow a more "dignified" thing to do. It's not.

Give me the naive sincerity of the moment over necrophillia as ego trip any day.

And by all/any means necessary, always Do Right.

[clifford_thornton]

Amen, on all counts.

[Rooster_Ties]

Found my burn, and I've just given the whole thing a spin (all "nearly 40 minutes" worth)...

Never have I felt so conflicted about an album. What I like about it, I definitely like. A few moments even, here and there, I truely love.

But, my god, the cheeze is SO damn thick and cheesy -- and it's nearly EVERYWHERE (and I can stand a lot of cheese). Two or maybe three of the vocal tracks are some of THE worst music of this type that I've ever heard.

I'll hate myself in the morning, and I'll kick myself all the while entering my order online -- but so help me, if Dusty has it for anything less than $18 -- I'm pretty damn sure I will end up buying a legit copy for myself when it finally becomes available on CD.

Edited January 25, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Rooster_Ties]

I'm suddenly wondering what else Rene McLean is on (in the 70's) that doesn't come up in the AMG (like this thing, which I'm sure doesn't).

He's a guy who didn't record nearly enough back then for my tastes, and I'd love to find some other lesser-known sessions he's on.

Edited January 25, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Guest akanalog]

here are my thoughts from the tyrone washington thread-

anyone pick up the newish tyrone washington reissue from dustygroove?

it is called "do right" and is from i think 1974.

out on p-vine, who deserve some thanks for reissuing some good early 70s funky jazz which (and no offense to the organists on the board) is not all organ-based. some good e-piano based stuff-

including larry willis' "inner crisis" and ramon morris' "sweet sister funk" which i both highly recommend.

also some mike longo stuff but i'm not so into that guy as well as some other stuff...

i am curious about the jazzberry patch album. that is organ-based, i think.

anyway-i got this washington. it is pretty decent.

i like the afformentioned albums (willis and morris) better than the washington. the reason is because the washington is actually a bit more commercial sounding. or perhaps not commercial sounding, but more standard funkiness sounding.

washington does a decent amount of singing and i like his voice. it is sort of warm and fuzzy and frog-in-throat-ey. and he is singing about peace, love and respect kind of things which you can't do seriously these days but back then you could be sincere about it.

a few of the songs are "straight groovers" and if i was a DJ at a nice house party i would throw them on and people with good taste in party music would dance.

a song or two hints at commercial pharoah sanders or norman connors (same kind of bassline sanders used)...but not really.

yeah i guess i was just surprised out of the three albums i have on p-vine, the tyrone washington would be the most commercial. don't get the wrong idea though-it is a weird album. i mean, it sounds like washington is playing a ratchet on some songs and the last tune goes a little out and the lyrics are sung goofy, even when washington is just going "peace peace peace peace".

also-the first song starts with the lyrics "this is tyrone washington and his soulful band. we're trying to make you feel the best that we can" and it is pretty sweet.

the band included idris muhammed, rene mclean, fish benjamin, hubert eaves and some dudes clarence thomas who i keep confusing with clarence wheeler and some guy billy nichols, neither of whom i know of.

fish benjamin sounds good and makes the album for me, actually.

for some reason i keep thinking of that black heat song when listening to this album though they are not so similar. the ridiculously funky one with the flute.....

rooster, i am surprised at your opinions. i dunno-i don't really find this album so cheesy. if it was like chuck mangione or something, sure...but not tyrone washington.

[Guest akanalog]

as far as rene mclean, his steeplechase album "watch out" is pretty decent.

didn't totally connect with me, but worth checking out if you want to hear more of him.

[JSngry]

I'm suddenly wondering what else Rene McLean is on (in the 70's) that doesn't come up in the AMG (like this thing, which I'm sure doesn't).

Don't know if it shows up on AMG or not, but I was surprised to find him on a live Tito Puente side from the very early 1970s.

[Rooster_Ties]

OK, so I'm gonna put in an order from The Bastards™ soon (this week probably), and they've got the Tyrone "Do Right" disc in stock. But the damn thing is $25 (ouch!!).

The question is -- do I want this thing bad enough to pay $25 for it?? No, I don't. But will I be kicking myself years later if I don't move on it now, when I had the chance?? (and just how many different verb tenses can I use in the same sentence?? )

This isn't just a matter of not wanting to pay $25 for something that I only kinda like. Like I mentioned in a post up above, I'm REALLY conflicted about this date. And if I really liked half the tunes, and really disliked the other half -- it'd be a MUCH easier call. I'd probably buy it.

But I seriously like and/or love some aspects of most of the tunes, while at the very same time I REALLY dislike and/or hate some other aspects of the very same tunes!!!

Sangry, are you the only guy here (besides me), who's ever heard this date?? If nothing else, Jim, what would you do?? No, I don't really have the spare bread to buy it -- but then again, I've never let that stop me before. Jim - do you understand my conflict?? Do you feel my pain?? I think you're the only one here who can really sympathize with me on this one (since you've heard the date).

If you (Jim) didn't already own this on LP (but did have a burn of it), would you shell out $25 for a legit one on CD?? I figure you're pretty much like me -- even if it's expensive, if you want and/or need it -- you'll pay the piper. It's that I dislike just having burns of things, when I can own a legit CD copy (especially when it's somebody I really love, like Tyrone Washington -- or at least everything else he ever recorded).

Edit: I've got my burn of this one on right now, and I swear -- every damn time I hear it, I go back and forth between loving it and hating it (usually several times each tune ).

Edited April 4, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Rooster_Ties]

I'm spinning "Do Right" right now, and Jesus -- Tyrone Washington makes Phil Ranelin sound like a REALLY GREAT singer.

So then, those of you who have this album can at least understand what I'm talking about.

Edited April 4, 2006 by Rooster_Ties