An older "Pre-DSLR"-shot for my radio station:

laut.fm/soulfood

facebook.com/Soulfood.Radio

Bon Appétit :)

Hailed as “The Sensual Minister of Soul,” singer/songwriter Leon Ware earned that title due the to songs he’s written for well over five decades. Leon’s sensual and erotic lyrics are responsible for legions of children being conceived while heating up the bedrooms and the back seats of cars.

The Detroit, Michigan native was born on February 16th, 1940. As a child he began writing songs at the age of 9 when he penned his first song “The Girl of My Dreams.” He always wanted to become a vocalist like one of his idol’s the late Nat “King” Cole. In the 1950’s he formed a Doo-Wop group while attending McKenzie High School names The Romeos that included Lamont Dozier, who’d become part of one modern popular music’s legendary song writing hit-making teams, Holland-Dozier-Holland.

During the late 1960’s Leon left Detroit and moved to New York City where he became an arranger at ABC Records. His first gold record “Got To Have You Back” recorded by the legendary Isley Brothers on Motown Records.

The 1970’s was a very prolific time for Leon writing music for Ike and Tina Turner for their “Nuff Said” album. He penned Michael Jackson’s top five hit record “I Wanna Be Where You Are and songs on the landmark Quincy Jones record “Body Heat.”

In 1975 Motown President Berry Gordy heard Leon’s demo of “I Want You” and thought that vocalist Marvin Gaye should record it. Over that year he and Marvin collaborated in what would become a classic recording.

Over the last four decades musicians have recorded endless music penned by Leon including Minnie Riperton,Teena Marie, Average White Band, Donny Hathaway, Bobby Womack, James Ingram, and Jeffrey Osborne. He’s also recorded 11 solo projects including his current Stax Records release “Moon Ride.”

Leon is currently recording new music which will be coming out soon working with producers Robin Hannibal and Mark de Clive-Lowe. For upcoming club and release dates please visit him online at www.leonware.com.

Watch this video on Vimeo. Video created by Brian Pace.

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Soul "futurista". Así se define en algunos círculos este trabajo proveniente del Reino Unido. Intrigado por la etiqueta, y tras escuchar los dos únicos temas que encontré en real audio por internet: "Dollar" y "Days of my life", me hice con una copia de este CD. Una vez escuchado en su conjunto me parece un trabajo interesante, aunque por momentos aburrido y en detalles puntuales irritante (por qué estropear Dollar con ese pitido sinsentido?).

Si soy sincero, sólo hay unas pocas canciones del total de 16 que me resultan relevantes...tal vez las dos que cito arriba, que son precisamente las más tradicionales desde una perpectiva clásica, junto al tema producido por Leon Ware "Smoke", bendencido con su característico sello. En "Days of my life" más que a Curtis Mayfield, Spacek parece evocar el espiritu de los Impressions de finales de los 60, trasladados en una máquina del tiempo a 2005.

Aunque loable y hecha con indudable buen gusto (especialmente en el apartado vocal), me temo que la fusión entre soul, trip-hop y música electrónica que propone Steve Spacek no será al cabo del año una presencia asidua en mi reproductor.

Sin ánimo de resultar pedante, resulta obvio que para quien haya crecido con el trip-hop y los rítmos electrónicos y no esté demasiado familiarizado con Curtis, Leon Ware o Sly, será sin duda un disco fascinante y revelador. Por contra, para oidos poco acostumbrados a este tipo de bases y educados en el soul más ortodoxo, el experimento puede resultar indigesto.

Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans over 60 years in the entertainment industry with a record 80 Grammy Award nominations, 28 Grammys, and a Grammy Legend Award in 1992.

Mellow Madness is a 1975 studio album by Quincy Jones. This was Jones' first album recorded since treatment for a cerebral aneurysm. The album also featured an early appearance by The Brothers Johnson.

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Quincy Jones ‎– Mellow Madness

Label: A&M Records ‎– SP-4526, A&M Records ‎– SP 4526

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album

Country: Canada

Released: 1975

Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul

Style: #JazzFunk #Soul #Funk

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Tracklist

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A1 Is It Love That We're Missin'

A2 Paranoid

A3 Mellow Madness

A4 Beautiful Black Girl

A5 Listen (What It Is)

B1 Just A Little Taste Of Me

B2 My Cherie Amour

B3 Tryin' To Find Out About You

B4 Cry Baby

B5 Bluesette

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Credits

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#QuincyJones - Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Trumpet, Vocals, Background vocals

#TootsThielemans - Guitar, Harmonica

#DaveGrusin, #DonGrusin, Mike Melvoin, Jerry Peters - Keyboards

#IanUnderwood - Synthesizer

#LouisJohnson, Max Bennett, Chuck Rainey - Bass

Grady Tate, #HarveyMason - Drums

#WahWahWatson, George Johnson, Dennis Budimir - Guitar

#RalphMacDonald - Conga, Drums, Percussion

#HubertLaws - Flute

Tommy Morgan - Harmonica

Ernie Krivda, Sahib Shihab - Saxophone

Bill Lamb, Chuck Findley, Tom Bahler - Trumpet

Frank Rosolino - Trombone, Trumpet

George Bohanon - Trombone

Jerome Richardson - Wind

#MinnieRiperton, #LeonWare, Jesse Kirkland, Myrna Matthews, Paulette McWilliams, Joseph Greene, Jim Gilstrap, Paulette Williams, Carolyn Willis, Watts Prophets, George Johnson - Vocals

#Vinylrecordcollection #instarecords #vinylgram #recordoftheday #jazzrecordoftheday #recordgram #cratedigger #vinylcollector #loverecords #jazzvinyl #jazzrecords #souljazz #goodvibes #AnMRecorcds #AMrecords

Johnny Britt playing with Leon Ware, Wayne Linsey (tonight show band) Pro Jam at Catalinas with Ricky Minor, Linda Hopkins, plus plus plus July 10, 2012, Hollywood, California, USAPhoto by cr SCOTT Mitchell copyright 2012 July 10 scottmitchellphotography.com

Johnny Britt singing with Leon Ware in L.A. along with Wayne Lindsay & Ricky Minor from the Tonight Show.

Johnny Britt singing with Leon Ware with the Wayne Linsey (tonight show band) Pro Jam at Catalinas with Ricky Minor, Linda Hopkins, plus plus plus July 10, 2012, Hollywood, California, USAPhoto by cr SCOTT Mitchell copyright 2012 July 10 scottmitchellphotography.com

Johnny Britt playing with the legendary Leon Ware in L.A.

ARTWORK ALBUM CD 2011

Leon Ware.

The one and only Leon Ware, talking to members of the recording academy, about music being an art form (first and foremost) and a way of expressing yourself (as opposed to competing in categories, winning grammy's, comparing yourself to other artists, etc)