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TOP 10 REISSUES of 2003
by Tim Perlich
10 Dorothy Ashby Afro-Harping (Verve) Producer Richard Evans conspires with harpist Dorothy Ashby to create a funky soul-jazz masterpiece. Easy, breezy and beautiful.
9 Lialeh (Light In The Attic) Toward the end of the blaxploitation craze, Bernard Purdie created a funky fresh soundtrack for the porn flick Lialeh loaded with dope workouts. Thanks to Seattle's Light In The Attic label, you no longer need to spend $500 for a copy of the original Bryan label LP.
8 Country Got Soul (Casual) Never been a big fan of Jeb Loy Nichols, but the Georgia-born singer/songwriter did a swell job of compiling the swampy redneck funk of Southern-fried hombres like Eddie Hinton, Charlie Rich and Larry Jon Wilson who inspired him.
7 Reverend Charlie Jackson God's Got It (Case Quarter) Jackson's electrified testifying ventures as close to the profane as the sacred dare get, featuring distorted guitars, rattling tambourines and shouting that can only be described as possessed. Righteous!
6 Cedric IM Brooks The Magical Light Of Saba (Honest Jon's Records) A brilliant collection of jazzy spiritual reggae put down by saxophonist Cedric Im Brooks that defines the 70s roots sound.
5 Led Zeppelin How The West Was Won (Warner) Three discs of crisp, clear proof that on any given night Led Zeppelin could simultaneously be the best country, funk, Celtic folk and rock 'n' roll band on earth.
4 Miles Davis The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (Columbia/Sony) A stunningly comprehensive five-CD document of Miles Davis trying to figure out how to out-rock Jimi Hendrix. An intriguing glimpse of the creative artist at work.
3 Beny Moré y su banda gigante Grabaciones Completas (Tumbao)At last, the definitive collection of the 1950s boleros, big band stompers and rumbas from the Sinatra of Cuba, spread out over four CDs and with a 120-page booklet to fill in the gaps. www.descarga.com
2 Frank Motley & the Hitch-Hikers/KING HERBERT & THE KNIGHTS Canada's Message To The Meters (Jazzman) Leave it to an opportunistic British record dealer, Gerald "Jazzman" Short, to repackage and sell our Can-funk history back to us. A genius move.
1 The Stark Reality Now (Stones Throw) Eothan "Egon" Alapatt -- the man behind the essential Funky 16 Corners comp -- strikes again. This time he recirculates sought-after breaks classic The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop, using the master tapes with killer bonus tracks, extensive liner notes, photos and royalties paid. Right on!
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