LP - Bobbi Humphrey - Blacks and Blues - Jazz classic, VG+

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30

AllMusic Review (4.5 of 5) by Steve Huey  [-]

Bobbi Humphrey scored her biggest hit with her third album Blacks and Blues, an utterly delightful jazz-funk classic that helped make her a sensation at Montreux. If it sounds a lot like Donald Byrd's post-Black Byrd output, it's no accident; brothers Larry and Fonce Mizell have their fingerprints all over the album, and as on their work with Byrd, Larry handles all the composing and most of the arranging and production duties. It certainly helps that the Mizells were hitting on all cylinders at this point in their careers, but Humphrey is the true star of the show; she actually grabs a good deal more solo space than Byrd did on his Mizell collaborations, and she claims a good deal of responsibility for the album's light, airy charm. Her playing is indebted to Herbie Mann and, especially, Hubert Laws, but she has a more exclusive affinity for R&B and pop than even those two fusion-minded players, which is why she excels in this setting. Mizell is at the peak of his arranging powers, constructing dense grooves with lots of vintage synths, wah-wah guitars, and rhythmic interplay. Whether the funk runs hot or cool, Humphrey floats over the top with a near-inexhaustible supply of melodic ideas. She also makes her vocal debut on the album's two ballads, "Just a Love Child" and "Baby's Gone"; her voice is girlish but stronger than the genre standard, even the backing vocals by the Mizells and keyboardist Fred Perren. Overall, the album's cumulative effect is like a soft summer breeze, perfect for beaches, barbecues, and cruising with the top down.

Tracklist

Companies, etc.

• Record Company – Blue Note Records
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – United Artists Records, Inc.
• Copyright (c) – United Artists Records, Inc.
• Manufactured By – United Artists Records, Inc.
• Recorded At – The Sound Factory
• Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
• Produced For – Sky High Productions, Inc.
• Published By – Alruby Music, Inc.

Credits

• Arranged By [Vocal Arrangements] – Fred Perron*, Larry Mizell And Fonce Mizell*
• Arranged By, Conductor, Composed By, Written-By [All Compositions Written By] – Larry Mizell
• Clavinet, Trumpet – Fonce Mizell
• Congas – King Errison*
• Consultant [Electronic Consultant] – Carol Campbell, Dave Hassinger & His Sound Factory, Pat Rogers (4)
• Coordinator [Friends With Task] – Deena Glover, Joseph Porter III*, Reggie Andrews, Sue Bernstein (2), Terri Birns, Vicki Fortson
• Design – John Williams (30)
• Directed By [Technical Director] – Chuck Davis
• Drums – Harvey Mason
• Electric Bass [Fender] – Chuck Rainey, Ron Brown
• Engineer [Recording Assistant] – Chuck Davis, John Arias*
• Engineer [Recording] – John Mills (2)
• Engineer [Remix] – Chuck Davis, John Arias*, John Mills (2)
• Executive-Producer – George Butler
• Flute, Vocals [Solo] – Bobbi Humphrey
• Guitar – David T. Walker, John Rowin
• Liner Notes – Leonard Brown
• Percussion – Stephanie Spruill
• Photography By, Art Direction – Bob Cato
• Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Jerry Peters
• Producer – Chuck Davis, Larry Mizell
• Synthesizer [Arp] – Fred Perren*
• Vocals – Fonce Mizell, Fred Perron*, Larry Mizell