Creed Is Good

Does anyone remember CTI Records? It stood for Creed Taylor Incorporated and its founder turns 85 today. It's so hot in the Bay Area, I think it's 85 in here right now, actually.

In honor of Creed -- one of the most significant and influential record producers ever to live -- I am gonna post this epic 2 1/2 hour unreleased CTI All Stars concert from just before the (ill-fated) Munich Olympics of 1972. The cast of musicians on this recording is so stellar, at first glance it looks like a misprint or some sort of Fantasy Football League of jazzers.

Take a look below at the list of people playing on this one if you don't believe me. It's even more intense because for this show the percussionist and the guitar player couldn't make it due to family emergencies. You hear super-legendary DJ and MC Frankie Crocker, who announces the tunes in this set like some kind of Motown Jazz Revue of the Stars, allude to what happened to Airto Moreira and Gabor Szabo in his opening comments.

No matter... Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Hank Crawford, Hubert Laws, Grover Washington Jr. and a whole host of other deities are still on hand to cover the slack. And of course, it's as A Tribe Called Quest said in that "Ron Carter... is on the bass." The rhythm section in this is sweet, with Carter joined by the incredible Jack DeJohnette on drums. Soulstress Esther Phillips even shows up to bring the house down with something from the gutbucket at the end, in a fierce slow blues improvisation based on an old gospel song... a true collision of the music of Saturday night with the words of Sunday morning if e're there was one.

CTI All Stars
"CTI Olympic Jazz"
Kongresshalle
Munich, Germany
8.20.1972

01 Also Sprach Zarathustra
(show opening with band intros by Frankie Crocker)
02 Marvin Gaye medley
(feat. Grover Washington Jr., additional solos by Hubbard, Turrentine, & Crawford)
03 Frankie Crocker intro
04 Impressions
(solos by Hubbard, Turrentine, Laws, James, Carter, Farrell, Crawford, & Grover Washington)

05 Frankie Crocker intro
06 Daahoud
(feat. Jackie & Roy)
07 Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
(feat. Jackie & Roy with Hubert Laws)
08 Waltz for Dana
(feat. Jackie & Roy)
09 Frankie Crocker intro
10 Sound Down
(feat. Joe Farrell, additional solos by James, Carter, & DeJohnette)
11 Frankie Crocker intro
12 Red Clay
(feat. Freddie Hubbard, additional solos by Turrentine & James)
13 Frankie Crocker intro
14 Baby I'm For Real
(feat. Esther Phillips)
15 In The Evening
(feat. Esther Phillips, solos by Turrentine & Bob James on organ)
16 Frankie Crocker outro for intermission
17 Frankie Crocker intro for Part II
18 Sugar
(feat. Stanley Turrentine, additional solos by Hubbard & James)
19 Frankie Crocker intro
20 Misty
(feat. Hank Crawford)
21 Frankie Crocker intro
22 Windows
(feat. Hubert Laws & Bob James)
23 Frankie Crocker intro
24 Carry Me Through Blues
(feat. Esther Phillips, solo by Hank Crawford)
25 Inner City Blues
(concert outro by Frankie Crocker feat. Grover Washington Jr.)

Total time: 2:33:52

disc breaks can go after Tracks 08 & 16

The CTI All Stars:
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone
Hubert Laws - flute & piccolo
Joe Farrell - tenor & soprano saxophone
Hank Crawford - alto saxophone
Grover Washington Jr. - tenor & soprano saxophone
Bob James - piano, electric piano, organ
Ron Carter - bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums
Jackie Cain & Roy Kral - vocals
Esther Phillips - vocals
Frankie Crocker - Master of Ceremonies

FM reel recorded by taper/soundman extraordinaire Davmar77

972 MB FLAC/May 2014 archive link

Honestly CTI is one of my favorite classic 1970s jazz labels, with records like Joe Farrell's Upon This Rock and Freddie Hubbard's Red Clay waaayyyy up on the list for me. So please take this opportunity to pull down this magnificent (and completely unissued) concert to celebrate Creed Taylor, the man who put the CT in CTI.