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by Michael B. Klein
It was bound to happen sooner or
later. A new wave of music is
washing over us. Many people have
coined it "razz." What is it? I
suppose the best definition I've
heard is that razz is a cross between
jazz and rock, hence the name. I
have also heard that razz utilizes the
elements of jazz with a mild disco
beat. Whatever it is, it has had
tremendous success and is damn
good music .
Take for example George Benson .
I remember many years ago, one
couldn't give away a George Ben-
son album. Naturally, the jazz
people were into him, much the way
they were into the late Wes Mont-
gomery before any MOR or rocker
ever heard of him. As a matter of
fact , probably one of the best Ips
that Benson ever recorded was
completely overlooked until his suc-
cess with his Breezin' lp. That
record was an album of Beatie's
songs, The Other Side of Abbey
Road. It's now a classic.
Razz has already given us a wide
range of good music, from the pure
vocals of Esther Satterfield to the
Crusaders . Now, as with the disco
rage, there seems to be an over-
abundance of razz records. But
unlike disco music, this is good
stuff.
Many cynics call this formula
music . Agreed . But at least with
razz , we have a good, inventive
base to build on .
PICK HITS
Popular
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AIN'T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING Donny &
Marie Osmond/ Polydor 14Jl3
YESTERDAY'S HERO Bay City Rollers/Arista 0216
IT KEEPS YOU RUNNIN' Doobie Bros./Wa rner
Bros. 8282
DRIVING WHEEL Foghat/Bearsville 0313
I LIKE DREAMIN' Kenny Nolan/20th Cent. '!287
NIGHT MOVIES Bob Seger/ Capitol
ST. CHARLES Jefferson Starship/Grunt10791
BABY, I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU Seals & Crofts/Warner
Bros . 8277
BABY, YOU LOOK GOOD TO ME TONIGHT John
Denver/ RCA 10054
DOMELO - Roy Ayers Ubiquity/ Po-
lydor PO 14370
Domelo means "Give It to Me" in
Spanish, and Roy definitely gives it
to us. Roy has been an accom-
plished jazz musician for many years
and has had mild success as a
jazzman . But now, with the popu-
larity of razz, perhaps his time has
come. This single is a perfect
example of good razz . It has a fine
beat and a contagious dance rhy-
thm. And Roy's ability as a quick
and nimble keyboard man makes
this single even more appealing.
This will be a fine addition to any
jukebox where you have hip-sophis-
ticated listeners .
EASY TO LOVE- Joe Simon /
Spring Records SP 169
Joe Simon has bee.n around for a
long time, too. But his success has
come mainly from the soul area. He
has had many hits in the past, but
none that seem to have this feel
about them . I think that Joe has
always been on the fringe of being a
jazz singer, perhaps not like King
Pleasure or even Mel Torme, but
Joe has that "feel" about his music
and delivery. This single is a medium
tempo tune , almost on the edge of
being upbeat . This record has good
" hooks" and is a natural jukebox
number. It might even do well with a
disco crowd of you have that type of
clientele .
BLINDED BY LIGHT Manfred Mann's Earth Band/
Warner Bros. 8252
SIXTEEN REASONS Laverne & Sh1rley/ Atlantic 3367
FEELINGS Walter Jackson/ Chi . Sound lUl
I CAN'T ASK FOR MORE Cliff Richards/ MCA 40025
FREE Den1ece Williams/ Columbia 10429
WOMAN'S GOTIA HAVE IT James Taylor/Warner
Bros. 8278
SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW Tom Jones/
EpiC 50308
WHITE BIRD
Dav1d LaFiamme / Amherst 717
Country
YOUR PLACE OR MINE Gary Stewart/ RCA 10033
LIARS ONE, BELIEVERS ZERO B1ll Anderson/ MCA
4!6l1
WHY LOVERS TURN TO STRANGERS Freddie Hart/
ONLY A CHILD CAN LOVE- Ohio
Players/ Mercury 73860
The Ohio Players have been a
solid soul group for so long that it
may be hard to shake that image .
However, here they do it perfectly
with super-slick arrangements on
both sides of this single. I think that
both are potential hits with the
" white" listener. Up until recently,
not too many " white" stations were
playing their music. But with the
release of this single, they are
destined to have a giant hit. I think
the best word to sum up this
uptempo single is "tight." Tight
horn section and tight vocals with
superb harmony . I might add that
this single has the best sound
quality (aside from Ips) that I've
heard in a long time. And the stereo
separation is perfect. My vote goes
to this record as the best of the
month .
ENGLAND, ENGLAND - Randy Pie/
Polydor PO 14368
This single is not razz, but I found
myself so captivated by this Euro-
pean group that I had to mention it.
The beat is reggae . The sound could
even be disco, but it is very
commercial . This disc could go in
your jukeboxes anywhere (except a
country location) . If this group gets
exposure they could be the hottest
thing since the Bee Gees. Do listen
to it, if possible .
Capitol 4Jl3
SING A SAD SONG Wynn Stewart/ Playboy run
A UTILE AT A TIME Sunday Sharpe/ Playboy 6IBJ
A MANSION ON THE HILL Ray Price/ Dot 17ffi6
UNCLOUDY DAY W1llie Nelson/ Columtiia 10453
MILES & MILES OF TEXAS Asleep at the Wheel/
Cap1tol 4357
Soul
FREE Oeniece Williams/ Columbia 10429
WHEN LOVE IS NEW Arthur Prysock/ Oid Town Hlll
GOIN' UP IN SMOKE Edd1e Kendncks/ Tamla 54277
CLOSE TO YOU
Tyrone Davis/ Columbia 10457
EASY TO LOVE Joe S1mon/ Spnng 169
CLOSE TO YOU
Ronnie Oyson/ Columb1a 10441
courtesy of STERLING TITLE STRIP CO ., INC.
1175 Broad Street, Newark, N.J. 07114