Harvey Mason - Earthmover (1976) 320 kbps

Tracklist

01. K. Y. and the Curb
02. Sho Nuff Groove
03. The Mase
04. Sweet Mercy
05. Earthmover Prelude
06. Bertha Baptist
07. First Summer
08. No Lands Man
09. When I'm with You (live version)

personnel :

Harvey Mason - drums, tympani, vocals
Lee Ritenour - guitar
Jan Hammer - minimoog
Patrice Rushen - piano
Louis Johnson - guitars, bass
Anthony Jackson - bass guitar
Merry Clayton - vocals

In the 1970s, Harvey Mason was one of those busy L.A.-based sessions players who had one foot in jazz and the other in R&B. The drummer backed his share of soul heavyweights (including Earth, Wind & Fire, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and the Brothers Johnson), but he never lost his jazz chops. Recorded in 1976, Earthmover is among the mostly instrumental albums that Mason provided during his stay at Arista. This self-produced LP, which finds him trying to balance commercial and creative considerations, is a mixed bag. Some of the material is strong, especially the cerebral fusion item "No Lands Man" (which boasts Jan Hammer on keyboards) and the funky "Bertha Baptist." And the contemplative "First Summer" is an enjoyable track that reminds the listener of the underrated Hawaiian funk/fusion outfit Seawind, which isn't surprising because it was co-written and arranged by Seawind's Bob Wilson. Meanwhile, some of the more commercial jazz-funk and pop-jazz tracks are less impressive and tend to sound overproduced. But while Earthmover is uneven, it has more ups than downs. Overall, this isn't a bad record, although Mason is capable of being more consistent.