The 1st Annual Benefit For the Congressional Black Caucus (1975)

'Wild and Peaceful' excerpt
more previews below

This album's been on the blogosphere before, but I wanted to get a full quality rip up here.

When Barack Obama gave his nomination speech the other day, much was made of the fact that it fell on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's famous Washington speech, and many were moved to think about the progress that had been made in the intervening years.

This album comes about a decade into that progress : In January 1969, newly elected African American representatives of the 77th U.S. Congress joined six incumbents to form the "Democratic Select Committee". In 1971 the Committee was renamed the Congressional Black Caucus.

In 1974 someone had the great idea of holding concerts and dinners featuring Kool and the Gang, Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight and The Pips, War, and Jimmy Witherspoon, to raise money for the caucus' activities, and this album features excerpts from those events in September ...

back cover detail

This is a great funky album, capturing everyone at the top of their game. After a series of crowd "Amen!"s for the artists, Kool and the Gang kick off with a thirteen minute version of the jazzy instrumental "Wild and Peaceful" , the title track from their 1973 album rhodes, flute and a sax solo that builds and sustains.

'Give Me Your Love' excerpt

Curtis Mayfield comes in with a version of "Give Me Your Love" from "Superfly". The announcer tells us he'd just released the album "Sweet Exorcist". It's great to hear Mayfield live in this mid-70s period - as good as his 1971 live album is, this 1974 band is tight.

Gladys Knight tells us that she and the Pips had just completed the soundtrack for the film "Claudine" with Mayfield, and they launch into a version of that albums's funkiest track "On and On", written by Mayfield.

'Gypsy Man' excerpt

War open side two with a pounding sixteen minute take on their latin-funk-rock hit "Gypsy Man", from their '73 album "Deliver The Word", which rises and falls with in its dynamic - the preview above is a low key section - hey, it's Sunday morning here ...
War members Howard Johnson and Lonnie Jordan produced this album along with Jerry Goldstein.

Bluesman Jimmy Witherspoon completes the proceedings with an intimate version of "Goin' Down Slow", with a sudden breakout guitar solo from Robben Ford.

So enjoy this album, and don't be fooled by "pro-life" hockey moms, support Obama in '08!

TRACKLIST

01. "Wild and Peaceful" - Kool & The Gang (13:13)
Written by Ronald Dell - Kool and the Gang

02. "Give Me Your Love" - Curtis Mayfield (6:20)
Written by Curtis Mayfield

03. "On and On" - Gladys Knight And The Pips (3.40)
Written by Curtis Mayfield

04. "Gypsy Man" - War (16:10)
Written by S.Allan, H.R. Brown, M.Dickerson, L.Jordan, C.Miller, L.Oscar, H.Scott

05. "Goin' Down Slow" - Jimmy Witherspoon (6.25)
Written by J. Witherspoon.

Tracks 1, 2, 4 recorded at Capitol Centre, Largo, Maryland , September 25th, 1974
Tracks 3, 5 recorded at Black Caucus Dinner at Washington Hilton September 27, 1974

PRODUCTION DETAILS

Chess Records CH 60037
Produced by Howard Scott , Jerry Goldstein , Lonnie Jordan for Far Out Productions Inc. and GRT Corporation.
Manufactured by GRT Corporation
Remix Engineer - Ed Barton
Recording Engineer - Andrew Berliner
Executive Producer - Nate McCalla

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