West Coast Boogaloo with Fred Wesley

West Coast Boogaloo is the debut album by the San Diego acid-soul-jazz band The Greyboy Allstars, featuring Fred Wesley on trombone on three tracks. The album was recorded in one day, live with the band, with Karl Denson and DJ Greyboy taking the reins as producers. It was originally released in December 1994 on vinyl by the now defunct Greyboy Records and later on CD.[1] In June 2020, the band announced that Light In The Attic Records would be issuing a brand new pressing of the out of print classic on vinyl. It was reissued by Light In The Attic Records on October 7, 2020[1] "This album should interest all collectors from the Sonny Stitt/Groove Holmes/Rusty Bryant Prestige Records era of the '60's and '70's" [2]

West Coast Boogaloo
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 5, 1994
RecordedMarch 21, 1994
StudioGrandmaster Recorders
GenreJazz, funk, groove
Length44:46
LabelGreyboy Records/Knowledge Room Recordings
ProducerKarl Denson, DJ Greyboy

1994 was the golden era of hip-hop crate diggers with DJs plundering rare groove records to shape the perfect beat.[3] Jazz Music Archives describes the album as "a fresh reinvention of an old jazz theme - chill grooves fortified with killer musicianship make for great listening. In 1995, it was the presence of Fred Wesley of James Brown fame that lent name credibility to this project."[2]

They floss their old-school knowledge with dope versions of Rusty Bryant's classic "Fire Eater," Leon Spencer's "Miss Riverside," and Kool & The Gang's "Let The Music Take Your Mind," inspired by Grant Green's cover of the same cut. They are no slouches with the pen, as the originals are as dope, if not doper, than the covers. Standouts are the soulful acid-jazzy "Soul Dream," the brisk, Tower of Power-esque "Fried Grease," and the angular groover "Gravee" all featuring guest shots from the legendary Fred Wesley.[4]

Track listing

West Coast Boogaloo track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Soul Dream"Karl Denson5:13
2."Let The Music Take Your Mind"Redd/Bell/Sparrow/Westfield/Bell/Mickens/Thomas/Smith/Brown5:42
3."Fried Grease"Karl Denson6:15
4."Fire- Eater"Bryant/Taylor4:33
5."Tenor Man"Karl Denson7:44
6."Miss Riverside"Leon Spencer Jr5:57
7."Gravee"Robert Walter4:03
8."The Browns At Home"Andrews, Stillwell, Denson5:05

Musicians

  • Karl Denson - Saxophone, Flute
  • Elgin Park - Guitar
  • Chris Stillwell - Bass, Guitar
  • Zak Najor - Drums
  • Robert Walter - Electric Piano, Organ
  • Harold Todd - Flute, Tenor Saxophone
  • Craig Levitz - Percussion
  • Fred Wesley - Trombone (on Soul Dream, Fried Grease and Gravee)

Credits

  • Produced by Greyboy and Karl Denson
  • Recorded by Eric Sarafin at Grandmaster Recorders, March 21, 1994
  • Mixed by Greyboy and Karl Denson at Adamos Recording, May 2, 1994

References

  1. "West Coast Boogaloo". The Greyboy Allstars.
  2. "THE GREYBOY ALLSTARS West Coast Boogaloo (with Fred Wesley) review by Rokukai". JazzMusicArchives.com.
  3. "Full Bio". The Greyboy Allstars.
  4. "The Greyboy Allstars – West Coast Boogaloo". Soul Strut. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
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