Johnny Hammond: Gears (2LP) [BGP]

Why you'll love it

This remastered 2LP set in a gatefold jacket adds six previously unissued Milestone recordings across sides C and D. Jamiroquai built "When You Gonna Learn" on the chords of "Los Conquistadores Chocolatés," with Hammond's blessing.

This edition

• 2LP set
• 180g vinyl
• Remastered
• Gatefold jacket
• Six previously unissued bonus tracks

About the album

Johnny "Hammond" Smith made his name on the soul-jazz organ, but for Gears he handed the controls to Larry and Fonce Mizell, the brothers behind Donald Byrd's run of jazz-funk records. They wrote most of the tunes, sang the backing vocals and arranged them, and in July 1975 the band cut the album at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley before a remix in Hollywood that September.

Smith moves between organ, synthesizer and electric piano over a crack band: Harvey Mason on drums, Chuck Rainey on bass, Jerry Peters on keys, Roger Glenn on flute and vibes, with Hadley Caliman's tenor and Julian Priester's trombone floating over the top. "Tell Me What To Do" sets a sunny, airborne groove, "Lost On 23rd Street" stretches out, "Shifting Gears" lives up to its name and "Can't We Smile" closes the original album sweetly. The bonus sides add "Detroit Rainbow," "Funky Native" and two takes of "A Child's Love."

Plenty of producers have gone digging through these grooves for samples in the years since. It's the sound of a jazz organist discovering the synthesizer and being thoroughly delighted about it.

Also at Kops: more Johnny Hammond on vinyl · browse Modern Jazz

Tracklist

Listen

On BGP / Milestone (cat# HIQLP2 034), a reissue of the 1975 album.