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Records

Records image
Parent Issue
Day
12
Month
August
Year
1976
OCR Text

Records

Mixed Bag: Mixed Bag's First Album (Tribe)

Earl KIugh: Blue Note (UAMARG, Inc.)

Ted Lucas: Ted Lucas (OM Records)

A few of our own neighbors have entered the race to hawk their wares on the open market and with uniformly fine results. Detroit blood has often been in the musical vanguard, so it's really no great surprise. This time around guitarist Earl Klugh, singer-composer Ted Lucas and Ann Arbor's Mixed Bag are parlaying their talents on wax. lf they get the right kind of attention from the main-money ofays, the music's good enough to move a lot of folks.

Earl Klugh 's second Blue Note album is a wonder to behold. Simply titled Earl Klugh. it is a showpiece album for one of the  finest guitar men in our hemisphere. His mostly acoustic songs are delightfully melodic and show him a master of color and chordal voicing. Not only that -the brother cooks like a nuclear reactor.

Klugh's own "Venetta" ís worth the price of admission alone- light and fresh and backed by a sensitive rhythm section with Harvey Mason and Dave Grusin, a pianist who also produced and arranged the date quite tastefully. Strings and horns are used to a mellow end, especially on "Waltz for Debby." You must have this album, amigos.

Nearly as familiar to Detroiters as Vernors or T-Birds is the talent of Ted Lucas. He's been turning audiences upside down in this area (and elsewhere) for as long as I can remember. It's certainly no mistake and the evidence is contained in his album, self-conceived and produced,  entitled Ted Lucas.

Half of the album features Ted's soulful and appealing vocal stylings as he performs his own material. His writing is natural and relaxed and some very mellow listening. ""Plain and Sane and Simple Melody" is such a song. The other side of the album features Ted's instrumental talent in various settings: his guitar on a home cookin' "Sonny Boy Blues," or some meditativa and beautiful sitar work on "Love and Peace Raga." Do yourself a nice favor and find this album.

And Lord have mercy, what those folks in Ann Arbor haven't come up with! Mixed Bag's First Album has suddenly become the most played album in my home. Goddam, what beautiful results these men have come up with - producing, play ing and packaging this on their own, and all done beautifully.

Mixed Bag is an assemblage of talent familiar to area listeners-Ron Brooks on bass; Danny Spencer, drums; Gaff Dunsun (or is that Kddie Russ?), keyboard; Jerry Glassel, guitar; Larry Nozero, reeds; and Dave Koether, percussion, To describe the unique beauty of the music on this aIbum would involve a lot of words. Suffice it to say that you will hear great bursts of energy from very talented instrumentalist: Larry Nozero's soprano sax singing on "La Margarita" or Glassel's stinging guitar on "Ziaus." And much, much more. Only if yon are a masochist of the highest order would you be justified to deny yourself the great pleasure of his music.

- David Weiss