There aren’t many songs that one can clearly hear the combination solid Hard Rock and the distinctive sound Jazz. Of course, Jazz is the Blues and Hard Rock derives from the Blues also, so in a way they can be combined together but how will they sound mix together? I mean in a manner in which they can distinctively be separated within the song and also interact, without tripping all over each other. It’s not easy and these two bands, Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears managed to combine both Jazz and Hard Rock without degrading either one. More importantly, they created a great new sound with a heavy dose of the Blues. Unfortunately, no other band really took advantage of this combination. I might be wrong here because there were other bands who attempted this but in my ears they leaned too more towards being considered funky. Sorry but not the same to me.
Not all the songs in these two albums have this unique Rock-Jazz combination but there is enough music to create a mini-playlist (Over an HOUR) and I will add it to the Broadcast Stream for an indefinite time. Check the Schedule link for play time, Enjoy!
More on the Chicago Transit Authority Album:
This debut has surprisingly endured, whereas all their following 18,000 albums with the same title (other than a number change) have little or no credibility in the public’s memory. This album can be interchanged with the second and third Blood Sweat And Tears album; all represent the very best of late 60s American jazz/rock. The band changed their name soon afterwards as they ploughed a successful path into smooth AOR. Lengthy tracks such as “South California Purples” and their excellent cover version of Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m A Man” prove beyond doubt that these chaps can really play…..Learn More
More on the Blood Sweat & Tears Album:
This was Blood, Sweat & Tears’ apex, and a testimony to the best of the jazz/rock movement. Created by the legendary Al Kooper, the band was one of the major movers in the late-1960s rock scene. Though Kooper had departed after the debut album, this follow-up is bold, brassy, and adventurous, and the arrival of David Clayton-Thomas gave the band a strong singer and focal point. Eclecticism abounds, as an interpretation of an Eric Satie composition is followed by a version of Traffic’s “Smiling Phases.” Hit singles galore were culled from this record–“Spinning Wheel,” “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” and “And When I Die,”–not to mention a superb rendition of Billie Holiday’s “God Bless The Child.”
Out of print in the U.S.! Digitally remastered and expanded German pressing of this 1969 album featuring two bonus tracks: live versions of ‘More and More’ and ‘Smiling Phases’……Learn More
