[TR24][OF] Idris Muhammad - Turn This Mutha Out - 1977/2016 (Crossover Jazz, Fusion)

A great late 70s chapter in the career of funky drummer Idris Muhammad – moving into very different territory here than his early soul jazz with Lou Donaldson, and even his earliest solo material too! David Matthews arranged the tracks, and he's given them a slick but soulful sound, with lots of spacey fusion elements, and a nice funky soul vibe that's a bit similar to some of Larry Mizell's work – stretched out in this great mix of grooves and deeper jazzier elements – even at a level that's hipper than Matthews' usual material from the time. Idris is at the core on percussion – and the lineup also includes Jeremy Steig on flute, Eric Gale on guitar, Randy Brecker on trumpet, and Wilbur Bascomb on bass – and titles include the seminal "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This", plus "Cambay Bolongo", "Tasty Cakes", "Crab Apple", "Moon Hymn", and "Say What".

Accompanied by Hiram Bullock (guitar), Cliff Carter (keyboards), Wilber Bascomb (bass), Jeremy Steig (flute), and others, Idris Muhammad ventures into the world of pop and R&B, annoying die-hard jazz fans. Limp and uninspired vocals hurt "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This," but the track is good and could have stood alone with instrument(s) replacing the vocal parts. If you like African rhythms underneath a haunting flute, then you'll love "Camby Bolongo" -- Sue Evans supplies percussions and Randy Brecker provides a searing trumpet solo.
"Turn this Mutha Out" offers some dynamic interplay between Bascomb's funky bass vamp and Bullock's compelling guitar work. The tune landed on the R&B chart in the States and got considerable airplay in Britain. "Tasty Cakes" uses the same lineup including complementary musicians as "Mutha." "Crab Apple," aided by Michael Brecker's tenor sax, jams; the midtempo strut is nasty, particularly when Carter works his synthesizer. "Moon Hymn" is a duo tempo head tune that nods at War's "Slipping Into Darkness." Eric Gale is the guitarist on "Say What," a fusion of jazz and funk. Muhammad never solos, he didn't write any of the songs, he didn't arrange any, and he didn't produce, but that eternally funky, break-heavy drumming makes this an album only he could have recorded.

foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2018-01-06 09:37:57
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Analyzed: Idris Muhammad / Turn This Mutha Out
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DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
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DR10      -0.01 dB   -12.15 dB      8:41 01-Could Heaven Ever Be Like This
DR13      -0.94 dB   -16.64 dB      4:36 02-Camby Bolongo
DR12      -0.01 dB   -14.48 dB      6:54 03-Turn This Mutha Out
DR11      -0.08 dB   -12.52 dB      4:29 04-Tasty Cakes
DR14      -0.01 dB   -15.31 dB      5:15 05-Crab Apple
DR12      -0.01 dB   -13.86 dB      4:23 06-Moon Hymn
DR13      -0.18 dB   -16.08 dB      4:01 07-Say What
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Number of tracks:  7
Official DR value: DR12
Samplerate:        192000 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   24
Bitrate:           5709 kbps
Codec:             FLAC
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