Sunday, February 15, 2009

Esther Marrow- Sister Woman (1972)


Good day all. Today's post is a nice little gem from 1972 on Fantasy, courtesy of Esther Marrow, née Queen Esther Marrow. There are some killer grooves, a couple of nasty breaks, and a great (shifting) band throughout, though the real focus is the angelic pipes of Ms. Marrow, who got her first big break singing in the first "Sacred Concert" that Ellington put on in 1966. For an excellent read check out her biography here, although it does curiously omit any mention of her excursions into worldly music, including another killer album on Flying Dutchman, Newport News, Virginia, from a couple of years earlier.

A nice mix of gospel, soul, and just a pinch of funk, the album features the song-writing and arranging talents of the formidable 70s Fantasy stable of artists, and throughout projects a nice balance of documentary-style slices of urban life and "love is the answer" positivity. Be sure to check out the Jimmy Johnson/Ralph McDonald break on "Things Ain't Right."

Sing it sister!


=========================================================

[Original Liner Notes]

Side 1
1. Woman In The Window 3:14
Arranged by Bobby Scott
Bernard Purdie-Drums
Bobby Scott-Piano
Cornell Dupree-Electric Guitar
Richard Tee-Organ
Chuck Rainey-Bass
Ralph McDonald-Percussion
Walter Raim, Sal Detroya-Guitars

2. Ghetto 4:20

Arranged by Richard Tee
Jimmy Johnson-Drums
Cornell Dupree-Guitar
Keith Loving-Rhythm Guitar
Gordon Edwards-Bass
Richard Tee-Piano
Paul Griffen-Organ
Ralph McDonald-Conga

3. Trade Winds 4:45
Arranged by Richard Tee
Idris Muhammad-Drums
Cornell Dupree-Guitar
Keith Loving-Rhythm Guitar
Gordon Edwards-Bass
Richard Tee-Piano
Ralph McDonald-Conga

4. Turn On To Jesus 6:09
Arranged by Richard Tee
Jimmy Johnson-Drums
Cornell Dupree-Guitar
Keith Loving-Rhythm Guitar
Richard Tee-Piano
Warren Smith-Percussion
Ralph McDonald-Conga
Gordon Edwards-Bass

Side 2
1. Rainy Night In Georgia 5:40

Arranged by Bernard Purdie
Bernard Purdie-Drums
Cornell Dupree-Guitar
Richard Tee-Organ
Chuck Rainey-Bass
Paul Griffen-Piano
Ralph McDonald-Percussion

2. Things Ain't Right 3:33
Arranged by Richard Tee
Jimmy Johnson-Drums
Cornell Dupree-Guitar
Keith Loving-Rhythm Guitar
Gordon Edwards-Bass
Richard Tee-Piano
Ralph McDonald-Conga

3. Ask Me To Dance 3:19

Arranged by Bobby Scott
Bernard Purdie-Drums
Bobby Scott-Piano
Cornell Dupree-Electric Guitar
Chuck Rainey-Bass
Ralph McDonald-Percussion
Specks Powell-Vibes

4. And When I Die 5:15
Arranged by Bernard Purdie
Jimmy Johnson-Drums
Chuck Rainey-Bass
Cornell Dupree-Guitar
Ralph McDonald-Conga
Warren Smith-Percussion
Richard Tee-Piano

The Horn Section:
Seldon Powell-Baritone Sax
Frank Wess-Tenor Sax
Jimmy Owens, Snooky Young-Trumpets
Tony Studd-Trombone
Buddy Lucas-Harmonica
Voices: The Reflections
Horns and voices arranged by William Eaton, except "Woman In The Window" arranged by Bobby Scott.
Produced by Jim Rein and Esther Marrow
Supervision: Ozzie Cadena
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Design: Tony Lane
Photos: Nima Yakubo


6 comments:

ish said...

Wow. Thanks for this. I know another of her albums butnever heard of this one.

Anonymous said...

now download!
wa-ku! wa-ku!
thanks for this album.
seachin "cornell dupree" by google
hit the this blog.
i found nice blog. great choice music! blues, funk, soul..
thanks bye. from japan

soulbrotha said...

This was awesome! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

A excellent album! Thank you very much.

culov said...

i just found your blog searching for this record. nice post, nice blog. peace out

Unknown said...

Olá Botched Surgery.
Visito sempre o blog http://armazemdosom.blogspot.com
para baixar boas músicas.
Estou interessado nos cd Mountain Gospel 1,2,3. No blog o link não está mais disponível, infelizmente. E como, parece, que você teve sucesso, pelo comentário que você deixou : (Botched Surgery disse...
Muito obrigado por isso!
11 de dezembro de 2008 01:08)
Faz um ano!
Você pode repostar/repost aqui em seu blog esses cd? Estou muito interessado.
Obrigado e um grande abraço.
Flávio.