Awareness

Wewantsounds present a reissue of Buddy Terry's Awareness, originally released in 1971. Following the highly-acclaimed release of Feeling Good (WWSCD 005CD/WWSLP 005LP, 2017) and Inner Peace (WWSCD 007CD/ WWSLP 007LP, 2017) compilations, Wewantsounds present the reissue of two superb classic albums as the first releases in their Mainstream Records Original Classics series: Awareness, presented here, and Harold Land's 1971 album A New Shade Of Blue (WWSCD 008CD/WWSLP 008LP). Awareness was Buddy Terry's first album for Mainstream Records, one of the three he recorded for Bob Shad's label. This is pure, undiluted spiritual jazz that is both deep and funky. Prior to the release of Awareness, Terry had recorded a couple of soul jazz albums for Prestige Record, Electric Soul in 1967 and Natural Soul in 1968. Terry then went under-the-radar until the recording of Awareness, an undisputed buried treasure. 1971 saw him picked up by the ever active Bob Shad who had just decided to produce a new crop of young jazzmen in tune with the sonic revolution of the time, think John Coltrane's Eastern influences and Miles Davis's experiments that took from the music Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. Awareness is a pure result of this incredible blend of influences, which saw labels like Black Jazz or Strata East transform jazz into a hip and cool genre adorned by the Woodstock generation. Featuring a glittering line-up composed of Strata East co-founder Stanley Cowell on piano and Rhodes, Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Buster Williams and Victor Gaskin on bass, Roland Prince on guitar, Mickey Roker on drums, and a young Mtume on percussion. Together they play a superb mix of deep and funky jazz in the best tradition of the genre. Both hypnotic (Kamili) and funky (check Cowell's signature tune Abscretions), Awareness is a pure delight graced by Shad's tight production values. It will ravish all lovers of early '70s spiritual jazz. Buddy Terry recorded another two great albums for Mainstream Records and played on Art Blakey's superb Child's Dance (1972), gracing the record with his wonderful soprano sax playing. Awareness proves that Buddy Terry is a great player worth (re)discovering. Includes never-before-seen session photos by Raymond Ross and new liner notes by French journalist Jacques Denis (Liberation, Superfly). CD version includes two bonus tracks, single versions of Babylon and Stealin' Gold.