Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf: Bernard Purdie and David Axelrod

As part of Concord Music and Craft Recordings, the Jazz Dispensary line was developed in 2016 to mine some of the funkier and more soul-influenced music housed in the catalogs of Prestige, Milestone, and Fantasy. Their initial offerings were mix tape-style collections frequently tapping into the mystique of the '70s and often appearing on Record Store Day. Previous projects have included reissues from Azymuth, Charles Kynard, and Johnny "Hammond" Smith.

The label's Top Shelf series gets underway in 2023 with two titles that have not been available on vinyl for over two decades, namely Bernard Purdie's Purdie Good and David Axelrod's Heavy Axe. Like most of Craft's offerings, these two sets are cut from analog sources by the renowned Kevin Gray before being sent to the RTI presses. Covers feature original graphics printed tip-on style. In reviewing both of these albums, the vinyl was found to be flat and very quiet, making these reasonably priced sets a real deal for the serious collector.

Bernard Purdie
Purdie Good!
Craft Recordings
1971/2023

From Hall and Oates to Steely Dan, drummer Bernard Purdie has appeared on thousands of albums and is considered one of the most recorded and identifiable drummers in history. For a period in the late '60s and early '70s he was a favorite of Prestige Records producer Bob Porter. Purdie's resume during that time included dates with Boogaloo Joe Jones, Freddie McCoy, Gene Ammons, Sonny Phillips, and Johnny Hammond Smith. It was inevitable that the drummer would end up leading his own sessions for Prestige, starting with 1971's Purdie Good.

Taking a piece from the James Brown cannon, the album opens with "Cold Sweat," the percolating Fender Rhodes and spiky guitar accents proving as important as Purdie's funk beat in setting the scene. Ted Dunbar steals the show with an extended guitar statement prior to a sanctified drum breakdown from Purdie and percussionist Norman Pride. "Montego Bay" hits a sunny mood thanks to Purdie's four-to-the bar rim clicks and some twangy guitar lines from Dunbar. The title track wraps up the first side, the churchy organ licks giving way to a funk workout featuring incendiary tenor preaching.

The flipside gets underway with a Purdie original that speaks to the talents of electric bassist Gordon Edwards and tenor saxophonist Charlie Brown. The pop mood continues with the iconic theme from the movie Midnight Cowboy, "Everybody's Talkin.'" Not unlike similar material that helped King Curtis make a big splash with the record-buying public, funky tenor saxophone mixes with a hip-shaking beat. The closing "You Turn Me On" recalls the kind of stuff Willie Bobo was cutting over at Verve in the late '60s, the muted trumpet and rim clicks bringing the funk to the forefront.

David Axelrod
Heavy Axe
Craft Recordings
1974/2023

More a conceptualist than a musician, David Axelrod was a storied arranger and composer much revered by those in the current hip-hop crowd searching for samples. Following a fruitful period at Capitol Records in the mid-'60s, Axelrod moved on to Fantasy were he cut Heavy Axe in 1974. The album is very much a period piece of its time. That's not to say it is not engaging because it will be a worthy purchase for those with tastes in this area. Overall the tracks are short, with the best moments coming from Axelrod's originals. A large horn section and plenty of guitar riffs and synthesizers make for a big sound that brings in the listener even as the bass foundation is provided by synthesizer and not by electric bass.

Highlights include a cameo from producer Cannonball Adderley on "Get Up Off Your Knees" and signature guitar riffs from Johnny "Guitar" Watson on a really fine remake of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain." Decidedly more palatable than the original, note how the vocal choir sings, "You think this song is about cha," as opposed to "I bet you think this song is about you." The closing "Everything Counts" stretches out longer than any of the other cuts and leaves one wanting more of what might be an underappreciated time capsule.

Associated equipment used for evaluation

VPI Scout 1.1 turntable with Soundsmith Aida Mk II cartridge
Musical Fidelity A3CR amplifier and preamp
Sutherland Insight phono preamp
Arcam SDS 50 SACD player
Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus 805 loudspeakers
Cardas cable and interconnects, Chang Lightspeed power conditioner
Solidsteel S3 Series audio rack

Tracks and Personnel

Purdie Good!

Tracks: Cold Sweat; Montego Bay; Purdie Good; Wasteland; Everybody's Talkin'; You Turn Me On.

Personnel: Bernard Purdie: drums; Tippy Larkin: trumpet; Warren Daniels & Charlie Brown: tenor sax; Harold Wheeler: electric piano; Ted Dunbar & Billy Nichols: guitar; Gordon Edwards: bass; Norman Pride: conga.

Heavy Axe

Tracks: Get Up Off Your Knees; Cast Your Faith to the Wind; You're So Vain; My Family; Mucho Chupar; Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing; It Aint for You; Everything Counts.

Personnel: George Duke: keyboards; Rudy Copeland: keyboards; Billy Fender, Don Peake, Johnny "Guitar" Watson: guitar; Roy McCurdy: drums; King Errisson: congas; Billie Barnum, Olga James, Gwen Owens, Stephanie Spurill: vocals; Cannonball Adderley: saxophone; Gene Ammons: saxophone; George Bohanon, Dick Hyde: trombone; Oscar Brashear, Allen De Rienzo, Snooky Young: trumpets; William Green, Jackie Kelso, Jay Migliori: saxophones; string section.