Paul Humphrey Sextet Featuring Oscar Brashear LP
Detroit-born drummer Paul Humphrey may be unfamiliar to many, but his playing has touched millions: from Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On (where he was miscredited as “Humphries”) to sessions with Quincy Jones, Steely Dan, and Frank Zappa. In the early ’70s he charted twice in his own right with funk numbers Cool Aid and Funky L.A. before returning to a more straight-ahead jazz setting for this 1982 sextet outing. Featuring trumpeter Oscar Brashear and a warm, post–Horace Silver groove, it’s an acoustic soul-jazz record that still carries Humphrey’s unmistakable feel for space and swing. A solid gateway record for listeners just starting to dabble in jazz, the charm lies in hearing the rhythmic aptitude behind so many studio classics given in a looser, more lyrical purview. Criminally underrated in his own time, this LP is a reminder that Humphrey’s groove could be as intimate and conversational as it was chart-topping. A$25.00 + postage Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) Sl...