erasing clouds
 

David Axelrod, The Edge: David Axelrod at Capitol Records 1966-1970

reviewed by dave heaton

Built as it is from snatches of the past, hip-hop music represents a doorway to so many musical styles, routes and stories of yesteryear. Music that long ago disappeared from even the cut-out bins, music in danger of being forgotten, is given new life in the hands of hip-hop. Especially when the music used for samples is itself held up to the light again, not just cut up and discarded but looked at anew. Not just used but really listened to. Listened to not just for its potential but for what it was, and is.

Magazines like Wax Poetics and labels like Stones Throw are at the frontlines of this renewal process, reintroducing the many musicians and albums that have been used as hip-hop's foundation. David Axelrod is one of those potentially forgotten musicians, and The Edge: David Axelrod at Capitol Records 1966-1970 represents his reintroduction to the hip-hop generation. Not that they haven't heard him before, as his songs have been well-used (most recognizable to me is Lou Rawls' "You've Made Me So Very Happy", used explicitly for De La Soul's classic, introspective "I Am I Be").

The music collected on The Edge represents a time when record labels had their own identities, and their own roster of producers and musicians. Axelrod was one of Capitol's producers – his forte was a weird, involving mixture of jazz and funk. Whether he was creating his own instrumental albums or working with artists as disparate as Lou Rawls, Letta Mbulu, Cannonball Adderly, and Man from U.N.C.L.E. star David McCallum, Axelrod created rich tapestries of sound, funky and soulful, yet in a psychedelic, heady, and sophisticated way, with echoes of pop and classical and so many other musical genres.

Compiled and produced by Stones Throw's Eothen "Egon" Alapatt and Eli "Peanut Butter: Wolf, but released by Capitol Jazz / Blue Note Records, The Edge collects 17 tracks from Axelrod's years with Capitol. 9 of the tracks come from three Axelrod albums (1968's Songs of Innocence, 1969's Songs of Experience, 1970's Earth Rot), but there's also a couple Lou Rawls tracks, a couple David McCallum tracks, a lengthy Cannoball Adderley suite, and more.

The Edge is a mere snapshot of Axelrod's career, but it tells his story well. The songs selected give a solid glimpse into the strange and fascinating musical world that he and his collaborators created. And the detailed liner notes tell of not just Axelrod but also the musicians he worked with. All in all, it's a loving celebration of Axelrod and his spellbinding music, one likely to send newcomers scrambling to hear more.

{www.bluenote.com}


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