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Documentary: Melvin Sparks
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Melvin Sparks was one of the finest and most important guitarists during the jazz-funk movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. For the Prestige label, Sparks recorded with Lou Donaldson, Sonny Stitt, Leon Spencer Jr., Johnny Hammond Smith, Caesar Frazier and many others. He was known for his Houston shuffle rhythm guitar and funky jazz lines. Sparks came out of the Houston blues and soul scene in the 1960s and began playing soul-jazz with organist Brother Jack McDuff mid-decade. ...
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Melvin Sparks: Sparks!
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
In the late 1960s and early '70s, Prestige assembled a studio band that specialized in a new form of soul-jazz dominated by organ and horns. To keep everyone in the ensemble happy and to meet the label's production quotas, individual musicians in the band took turns as session leaders. The need for an efficient and prolific house band was two-fold: the surge in affordable component stereo systems from Japan and the rise of FM radio in African-American communities. In short, ...
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Melvin Sparks: Live at Nectar's
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Just three months before guitarist Melvin Sparks died on March 15, 2011 at age 64, he recorded at a club in Burlington, Vt., called Nectar's, a club that's still there today (go here). Sparks was backed by members of his working trio—organist Beau Sasser and drummer Bill Carbone. But on this night, he added alto saxophonist Dave Grippo and tenor saxophonist Brian McCarthy. It had been several years since Sparks last used horns. Now this live date has been released ...
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Melvin Rhyne (1936-2013)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Organist Melvin Rhyne—who died of lung cancer on March 5 at age 76 in his hometown of Indianapolis—is perhaps best known for the four spectacular Riverside albums he recorded with Wes Montgomery between 1960 and 1963. Thanks to Resonance Records, we also have recordings with Rhyne and Montgomery from Indianapolis circa 1957 or '58—just before producer Orrin Keepnews lured Montgomery to Riverside and the road. [Photo above by Mark Sheldon] Upon a relisten to the Riverside material, it's hard to ...
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Trumpet Ace Melvin Jones Hits Straight to the Core on His "Pivot" Album
Source:
Gapplegate Music Review by Grego Edwards
I am not going to mess with a lot of words today. That's because a lot of words are not needed to capture what Melvin Jones's Pivot (Turnaround 1004) is all about. Mr. Jones plays trumpet with a brash and bold extroversion that puts him in the Lee Morgan-Freddie Hubbard-Woody Shaw bracket. Hook him up with a very hot band (like the one here), let him get his own tunes in there, and let loose. This is music with that ...
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Debut Solo Album Released of Celebrated Jazz Trumpeter Melvin Jones
Source:
Njeri Nginyo
ATLANTA—Turnaround Records, together with highly acclaimed jazz trumpeter Melvin Jones, proudly announces the release of Jones' first solo album entitled 'Pivot.' A culmination of many years of performing with numerous greats in the jazz industry, 'Pivot' showcases Jones' simmering style and his technical facility through original compositions that will captivate both newer listeners and long-standing fans. Jones, described succinctly as “the real deal" by the famed jazz composer and trumpeter Marcus Printup, already has a distinguished and diverse recording catalog, ...
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Melvin Sparks - R.I.P.
Source:
Sound Insights by Doug Payne
Guitarist Melvin Sparks, a soul-jazz legend and acid-jazz pioneer, died yesterday at his Mt. Vernon, New York, home from heart failure. He would have turned 65 next week. Reports indicate he died from complications associated with diabetes. Sparks made his name in the late '60s and early '70s as a soulful guitarist—or “gittar" player, as he called himself—accompanying Jack McDuff, Lonnie Smith, Lou Donaldson, Charles Earland, Jimmy McGriff and countless other soul-jazz stars. “But for the last two decades," wrote ...
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R.I.P. Melvin Sparks
Source:
JamBase
ACID JAZZ GREAT PASSES AWAY AT 64 Legendary Soul/Jazz/Funk guitarist Melvin Sparks died yesterday due to complications from diabetes. He was 64 years old. Sparks was noted for his pioneering Acid Jazz guitar style in the 60s and 70s, influencing generations of musicians in his wake, including Galactic, The Greyboy Allstars, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Derek Trucks, Robert Randolph, Eric Krasno and more. In addition to his groundbreaking work as a bandleader, Melvin was a prolific session player for labels ...
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Melvin Sparks (1946-2011)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Melvin Sparks, a much-in-demand soul-jazz guitarist who recorded with virtually all of the great organists of the late '60s and '70s and pioneered a sound that borrowed from Grant Green and Sly Stone, died on March 13 . He was 64. Sparks was at his best playing a muscular, groovy rhythm guitar behind organists like Leon Spencer and Charles Earland, breaking out occasionally with a melodic, groovy solo. He was a mainstay at Prestige during the '70s, where he was ...
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Melvin Gibbs' free download series enters 10th and final week with a John Medeski feature
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Melvin Gibbs
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